Using of slow positrons in various investigations - state of the art and perspectives

Slow positrons have become a unique probe in research of electronic structu re of matter, in data acquisition on Fermi surface in metals and alloys, in studying of formation processes of structural and radiation defects in met als, semiconductors, polymers and nanocrystalline structures. First positro n microscopes, PAES-spectrometers, positron ionization mass spectrometers a nd positron tomographs have been already created. In this paper results obt ained by positron annihilation method in different research fields and poss ibilities of future progress in obtaining of high-intensity, high-brightnes s slow positron beams of variable energy are briefly discussed. (C) 2000 El sevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.