12th International Workshop on Slow Positron Beam Techniques

Abstract

PrefaceThese proceedings arose from the 12th International Workshop on Slow Positron Beam Techniques (SLOPOS12), which was held on Magnetic Island, North Queensland, Australia, between 1–6th August 2010. Meetings in the SLOPOS series are held (roughly) every three years and have now been held on (almost) all continents, indicating the truly international nature of the field. SLOPOS12 marked the second time that the Workshop had been held in the southern hemisphere, and the first time in Australia.SLOPOS12 attracted 122 delegates from 16 countries. Most encouraging was the attendance of 28 student delegates, and that about half of the overall delegates were early career researchers – a good sign for the future of our field. We also enjoyed the company of more than a dozen partners and families of delegates. In a slight departure from previous SLOPOS meetings, the International Advisory Committee approved a broader scope of scientific topics for inclusion in the program for the 2010 Workshop. This broader scope was intended to capture the applications of positrons in atomic, molecular and biomedical areas and was encapsulated in the byeline for SLOPOS–12: The 12th International Workshop on Slow Positron Beam Techniques for Solids, Surfaces, Atoms and Molecules.The scientific and social program for the meeting ran over 6 days with delegates gathering on Sunday August 1st and departing on August 6th. The scientific program included plenary, invited, contributed and student lectures, the latter being the subject of a student prize. In all there were 53 oral presentations during the week. There were also two poster sessions, with 63 posters exhibited, and a prize was awarded for the best poster by a student delegate. The standard of the student presentations, both oral and posters, was outstanding, so much so that the judging panel recommended an additional number of prizes be awarded.Topics that were the focus of invited presentations and contributed papers at SLOPOS–12 included: Positron Interactions with Surfaces Positron Beam and Detector Technology Positron Interactions with Atoms and Molecules Positronium Science Defects and Vacancies in Materials Porosity and Open Volume in Materials Antimatter in Biomedical Science Anti-hydrogen Studies Positron Transport Annihilation On a sad note, delegates paid tribute to the contributions of one of our colleagues, Chris Beling, who tragically passed away shortly before the meeting. Chris' contributions to positron science and to the education of young scientists were noted in a number of the invited presentations. It is an honour for our community to begin these proceedings with a short tribute to Chris' life by Professor Paul Coleman. The Workshop could not have occurred without the generous support of our sponsors: The ARC Centre for Antimatter–Matter Studies, The Australian National University, Flinders University, James Cook University, The Institute of Physics (UK) and the Australian Government's Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research. It would also not have been possible without the hard work of the Local and International Organising Committees and the friendly and efficient staff at the All Seasons Resort, Magnetic Island. We are most grateful for the on-site assistance of Gillian Drew, the CAMS student and postdoc team, the financial wizardry of Chris Kalos, and the post-Workshop editorial assistance of Julia Wee and Adam Edwards.Finally we would like to thank all of the attendees at SLOPOS12 for their scientific contributions to the Workshop, and for the warm spirit of engagement which characterised the scientific discussions and social occasions.SLOPOS13 will be held in Germany in 2013 and we all look forward to the occasion.Stephen Buckman, James Sullivan and Ronald White (Guest Editors) Local Organising CommitteeInternational Committee Stephen Buckman (Chair, ANU, Canberra)G Amarendra (India) James Sullivan (Secretary, ANU, Canberra)M-F Barthe (France) Ronald White (JCU, Townsville)C Beling (Hong Kong) Jim Williams (UWA, Perth)R Brusa (Italy) Suzanne Smith (ANSTO, Sydney)P Coleman (UK) Igor Bray (Curtin U., Perth)C Corbel (France) Casten Makochekanwa (ANU, Canberra)M Fujinami (Japan) Michael Went (ANU, Canberra)R Krause-Rehberg (Germany) Adric Jones (ANU, Canberra)K Lynn (USA) Peter Caradonna (ANU, Canberra)H Schut (Netherlands) Ryan Weed (ANU, Canberra)P Simpson (Canada) Jason Roberts (ANU, Canberra)R Suzuki (Japan) Josh Machacek (ANU, Canberra)F Tuomisto (Finland) A Weiss (USA) SLOPOS–12 Delegates, 1–6 August 2010, Magnetic Island, Australia SPONSORS