On the detection of positrons via the optical lines of positronium

Details On the detection of positrons via the optical lines of positronium On the detection of positrons via the optical lines of positronium

Jul 1984

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1984apj...282..291m&link_type=abstract

Astrophysical Journal, Part 1 (ISSN 0004-637X), vol. 282, July 1, 1984, p. 291-295.

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

13

Galactic Nuclei, Gamma Ray Astronomy, Line Spectra, Positron Annihilation, Positronium, Active Galactic Nuclei, Elementary Particle Interactions, H Lines, Lyman Alpha Radiation, Pulsar Magnetospheres, Pulsars

Scientific paper

It is thought that positrons are copiously produced in active galactic nuclei, the magnetospheres of pulsars, and other high-energy astrophysical systems. However, the most obvious signature of a positron, the 511 keV annihilation line, has been confirmed for only one nonsolar source, the galactic center. In the search for new positron sources, it may prove fruitful to make use of a less well-known signature of a positron, namely, the optical lines emitted when a positron and an electron combine to form positronium. Positronium, an analog of the hydrogen atom, has a recombination-line spectrum with wavelengths which are twice the wavelengths of the corresponding hydrogen lines. On the average, for a wide range of physical conditions, the emission of each 511 keV annihilation-line photon will be preceded by the emission of about one positronium Lyman-alpha lambda 2430 photon. For both NGC 4151 and the Crab pulsar, the equivalent width of the positronium Lyman-alpha line is estimated to be approximately 100 mA. With Space Telescope, it may be possible to detect (5 sigma) such a line from NGC 4151 in about 1000 s and from the Crab pulsar in about 100,000 s.

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