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Fermi radii of lithium by positron annihilation. Paciga, John Joseph

Abstract

A positron annihilation experiment involving collinear point geometry is used to make a direct comparison of the k₁₁₀ and k₁₀₀ Fermi radii in a single crystal of lithium. It is found that is k₁₁₀ greater than k₁₀₀ by 5.6 ± 1.2%, in agreement with theory and a phenomenological interpretation of an earlier long slit experiment. The higher momentum components of the positron wavefunction are calculated by a direct method and found to be negligible. On the other hand, a less straightforward estimate based on a flattened Seitz potential shows that the higher momentum components of the electron wavefunction significantly reduce the experimentally observed anisotropy. Hence, the difference of 5.6% should be regarded as an upper limit on the true distortion of the Fermi surface of lithium.

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