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arXiv:1903.08353

Possibility of forming a stable Bose-Einstein condensate of $2\,^{3}\!S_1$ positronium atoms

Y. Zhang, M.-S. Wu, J.-Y. Zhang, Yinyin Qian, Gao, X., Kálmán Varga

Published Mar 20, 2019• 2 citations
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Abstract

The confined variational method in conjunction with the orthogonalizing pseudo-potential method and the stabilization method is used to study the low energy elastic scattering between two spin-polarized metastable positronium Ps(2\,$^{3}\!S_1$) atoms. Explicitly correlated Gaussian basis functions are adopted to properly describe the complicated Coulomb interaction among the four charged particles. The calculated $s$-wave scattering length ($\approx8.5\,a_0$) is positive, indicating the possibility of forming a stable Bose-Einstein condensate of fully spin-polarized $\text{Ps}(2\,^{3}\!S_1)$ atoms. Our results will open a new way of experimental realization of Ps condensate and development of $γ$-ray and $\text{Ps}(2\,^{3}\!S_1)$ atom lasers.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.1903.08353

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Possibility of forming a stable Bose-Einstein condensate of 2 3 ⁣S12\,^{3}\!S_123S1​ positronium atoms
The confined variational method in conjunction with the orthogonalizing pseudo-potential method and the stabilization method is used to study the low energy elastic scattering between two spin-polarized metastable positronium Ps(2,3 ⁣S1^{3}\!S_13S1​) atoms. Explicitly correlated Gaussian basis functions are adopted to properly describe the complicated Coulomb interaction among the four charged particles. The calculated sss-wave scattering length (≈8.5 a0\approx8.5\,a_0≈8.5a0​) is positive, indicating the possibility of forming a stable Bose-Einstein condensate of fully spin-polarized Ps(2 3 ⁣S1)\text{Ps}(2\,^{3}\!S_1)Ps(23S1​) atoms. Our results will open a new way of experimental realization of Ps condensate and development of γγγ-ray and Ps(2 3 ⁣S1)\text{Ps}(2\,^{3}\!S_1)Ps(23S1​) atom lasers.
The stochastic variational method is used in conjunction with stabilization ideas to compute the low energy phase shifts and scattering lengths for positronium-atom scattering. Results are obtained for the Ps-H, Ps- Li+, Ps-He, and Ps-Ps systems. The Ps-H scattering lengths are probably accurate to better than 5% and are the most accurate so far computed. The results for Ps- Li+ and Ps-Ps scattering represent the first published scattering lengths for these systems. The positive scattering length for completely spin-aligned 3Ps-3Ps scattering, namely 2.95a(0), is particularly significant since it demonstrates the feasibility of forming a stable Bose-Einstein condensate of 3Ps atoms.
The stochastic variational method is used in conjunction with stabilization ideas to compute the low-energy s-wave phase shifts and scattering lengths for Ps-Ps scattering. The scattering lengths obtained were 8.44a0{8.44a}_{0}8.44a0​ for the singlet-singlet and 3.00a0{3.00a}_{0}3.00a0​ for the triplet-triplet states (the spin state refers to the coupling of the two electrons and the coupling of the two positrons in the system). The positive scattering length in the triplet-triplet channel means a stable Bose-Einstein condensate of triplet Ps atoms is physically possible. The large value of the ${}^{3}{\mathrm{Ps}}^{3}{\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{Ps}}}^{1}{\mathrm{Ps}}^{1}\mathrm{Ps}$ cross section, $7.41\ensuremath{\pi}{a}_{0}^{2}$ suggests the use of spin-polarized positrons as advanced by Platzmann and Mills [Phys. Rev. B 49 454 (1994)].
Low-energy properties of spin-polarized electron-helium (23S)(2\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}^{3}S)(23S) and spin-polarized positronium-helium (23S)(2\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}^{3}S)(23S) scattering are calculated using the modified confined variational method. To take the van der Waals interaction into consideration, the van der Waals coefficient between positronium and helium (23S)(2\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}^{3}S)(23S) is calculated using the explicitly correlated Gaussian basis. Compared with the ground state noble gases, the larger scattering length and zero pickoff annihilation rate indicates that He(23S)\mathrm{He}(2\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}^{3}S)He(23S) may be a more suitable cooling gas. In the energy range we considered, no similarity is found for the SSS-wave cross sections between these two scatterings. A Ramsauer-Townsend minimum is observed in spin-polarized electron-helium(23S)(2\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}^{3}S)(23S) scattering due to the large polarization of metastable helium. This may open a new way to find and study the Ramsauer-Townsend effect.
The s-wave scattering parameters for the Positronium–Positronium (Ps–Ps) interaction are estimated semi-phenomenologically with the long-range van der Waals force and the short-range repulsive potential. The obtained values of the scattering length and the effective range are a ∼0.44 nm, and r 0 ∼0.2 nm for the symmetric channel. Stability of them is also checked with two kinds of potential with different parametrizations. Spin coupling schemes for the Ps–Ps system are discussed and the formulae of scattering length for each spin channel are derived. Using this value of the scattering length, the Gross-Pitaevskii equation can be fixed for the Positronium Bose-Einstein condensates (Ps BEC). The static properties of Ps BEC are discussed using the solutions of that equation. The critical temperature shift of the phase-transition due to the Ps–Ps interaction is also evaluated in the mean-field approximation.
Realization of Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC) of positronium (Ps), a purely leptonic particle-antiparticle bound system, is a challenging subject [1, 2]. Recently, Ivanov et al. [3] theoretically investigated the Ps-Ps scattering and showed theoretically that the scattering length for the o-Ps atoms is positive, indicating that a stable o-Ps BEC is actually possible. The condition for the BEC of the ideal Bose gas is λth > (2.612/n)1/3, where λth = h/ √ 2πmkT is the thermal de Broglie wavelength of the atom and n is the number density. This gives the critical temperature for the Ps BEC as Tc = 1.46×10−15n2/3, where Tc is in K and n is in m−3. This condition is much less severe than for the usual alkali atom BEC because λth is longer by five orders of magnitude. However, Ps has a finite lifetime: the lifetime of singlet state, para-positronium (p-Ps), is 125 ps and that of triplet state, ortho-positronium (o-Ps), is 142 ns. Thus a many-Ps system must be cooled within the lifetime of o-Ps. The short lifetime of Ps demands quick cooling and high density. The laser cooling which is employed for the accomplishment of alkali atom BEC is likely to be impractical because it takes longer time. It is also subject to relatively large recoil of the Ps atom when hit by a photon. Moreover, unless an effective method for trapping Ps in free space is developed, the system of Ps atoms diffuses and lowers its density. Platzmann and Mills [1] suggested to confine Ps in a small cavity of insulating material and let the Ps atoms give away their kinetic energy to the walls of the cavity. If one injects an intense polarized positron beam onto a material which has a micro cavity near surface, some of the positrons form Ps and are emitted into the cavity and stay there. This is expected because the work function of most of the material for Ps is negative, i.e., Ps atoms emitted into the cavity after thermalization in the material will never penetrate back into the material. They just hit the cavity walls and approach thermal equilibrium by exciting phonons. The probability of the annihilation of o-Ps with a surface electron is small if there are no paramagnetic centers on the cavity walls. It is necessary to use a polarized positron beam to make Ps. Otherwise all the o-Ps atoms are lost through mutual spin conversion into p-Ps [1, 4]. In this report we would like to discuss prospect of a Ps BEC with special attention to the following aspects [4]: (1) use of 18F for a source of an intense spin-polarized positron beams [5], (2) development of high efficiency Wmesh positron moderator, (3) emission of Ps from solid surface (4) the cooling of Ps in a cavity, and (5) the detection of a Ps BEC.
The s-wave scattering length for the Positronium-Positronium interaction is estimated semi-phenomenologically with the long-range van der Waals force and the short-range repulsive potential that represents the hard core between two positronium. The obtained value of the scattering length is a∼0.44nma \sim 0.44{\rm nm}a∼0.44nm, and its stability is also checked for different parametrizations. Using this value, the Gross-Pitaevskii equation can be fixed for the Positronium Bose-Einstein condensates (Ps BEC). The static properties of Ps BEC are studied from the solutions of that equation. The phase-transition temperature shift of the Ps BEC due to the Ps-Ps interaction is also evaluated with the mean-field approximation.