POSITRONIUM FORMATION IN A REVERSE MICELLAR SYSTEM

The observed decrease in intensity of the long-lived component in posi tronium decay at a critical surfactant concentration in non-polar solv ents, concommitant with the formation of reverse micelles, is describe d through a diffusion-recombination model. It is emphasized that pheno menological studies, such as the present one, are important for the de velopment of an understanding of positronium formation in liquids for which as yet no satisfactory theory exists, and strengthens the use of positron annihilation as a tool, for the study of the aggregational b ehaviour of surfactant molecules, the characteristics of which are dif ferent for polar and non-polar solvents. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V .