Excitation of molecular vibrations by positron impact.

Absolute cross sections for the vibrational excitation of CO, CO2, and H2 by positron impact are presented for incident positron energies from 0.5 eV to several electron volts. The measurements use a novel technique that exploits the adiabatic motion of a positron beam in a strong magnetic field. This work is the first systematic experimental study of vibrational excitation by positron impact, and extends to energies where positron measurements have traditionally been difficult. The measured cross sections are compared with available theoretical calculations.