Binding-energy predictions of positrons and atoms

Abstract

As yet there is no experimental determination of the binding energy of a positron to any neutral atom. However, quantum calculations have given positron binding energies for 12 atoms (including positronium) and have shown that 14 atoms do not bind a positron. We find that the known binding energies can be fitted to a simple expression involving only the polarizabilities, ionization potentials, and the numbers of valence $s$ electrons of the atoms, and we use this relationship to predict positron-atom binding energies for other atoms. Positronium-atom binding is not treated here.