Some theoretical aspects, practical results and experimental techniques of use of the positron annihilation phenomena in the research of the structure, defects of structure and other properties of different materials and mediums are covered in this journal volume. It comprises the papers presented at the 17th International Conference on Positron Annihilation (ICPA-17, Wuhan, China, 20-25 September, 2015).

For one and a half decades, the application of positron annihilation to condensed-matter physics concentrated on the study of the Fermi surfaces of metals and alloys. As other, often more powerful, techniques for performing this type of study were developed, it appeared that condensed-matter positron physics was going to be relegated to being a niche interest. However, the situation changed dramatically when it was found that measurements of positron annihilation in metals were sensitive to the structures of well-known defects. This discovery, and subsequent research made it a major tool in materials science.

When it comes to studying the structures and defects of materials, there is presently no technique that is superior to positron annihilation. The increasing demands for higher accuracy and reliability provide a constant stimulus to the field, and the present book relates the newest and most important scientific discoveries made in the field of positron annihilation.

This workshop on the subject of positron and positronium chemistry is the third international conference after those in Blacksburg, Virginia (1979), and in Arlington, Texas (1986). The fields of interests are interdisciplinary, such as radiation chemistry, superconductivity polymer chemistry, biochemistry, quantum chemistry and nuclear chemistry.

This volume presents the proceedings of the Workshop on Momentum Distributions held on October 24 to 26, 1988 at Argonne National Laboratory. This workshop was motivated by the enormous progress within the past few years in both experimental and theoretical studies of momentum distributions, by the growing recognition of the importance of momentum distributions to the characterization of quantum many-body systems, and especially by the realization that momentum distribution studies have much in common across the entire range of modern physics. Accordingly, the workshop was unique in that it brought together researchers in nuclear physics, electronic systems, quantum fluids and solids, and particle physics to address the common elements of momentum distribution studies. The topics dis cussed in the workshop spanned more than ten orders of magnitude range in charac teristic energy scales. The workshop included an extraordinary variety of interactions from Coulombic to hard core repulsive, from non-relativistic to extreme relativistic.

The study of radiation effects has developed as a major field of materials science from the beginning, approximately 70 years ago. Its rapid development has been driven by two strong influences. The properties of the crystal defects and the materials containing them may then be studied. The types of radiation that can alter structural materials consist of neutrons, ions, electrons, gamma rays or other electromagnetic waves with different wavelengths. All of these forms of radiation have the capability to displace atoms/molecules from their lattice sites, which is the fundamental process that drives the changes in all materials. The effect of irradiation on materials is fixed in the initial event in which an energetic projectile strikes a target. The book is distributed in four sections: Ionic Materials; Biomaterials; Polymeric Materials and Metallic Materials.

This book is a broad review of the electronic structure of metals and alloys. It emphasises the way in which the behavior of electrons in these materials governs the thermodynamic and other properties of these conducting materials. The theoretical treatment proceeds from a wave mechanics approach to more sophisticated techniques for the description of the properties of metals and alloys.

There is no doubt that, when it comes to the study of the structures and defects of materials, there is presently no technique that rivals positron annihilation. The increasing demands for higher accuracy and reliability provide a constant stimulus to the field, and the present work presents the newest and most important scientific discoveries made in the field of positron annihilation. Many important new results concerning positron and positronium studies of nano-materials, defects, porous materials, low-k dielectrics, polymers, liquids, atomic physics and new instrumentation are reported in the present contributions; presented by experts from all over the world. There can be no better way of keeping up with this rapidly advancing field.

The topic of thin films is an area of increasing importance in materials science, electrical engineering and applied solid state physics; with both research and industrial applications in microelectronics, computer manufacturing, and physical devices. Advanced, high-performance computers, high-definition TV, broadband imaging systems, flat-panel displays, robotic systems, and medical electronics and diagnostics are a few examples of the miniaturized device technologies that depend on the utilization of thin film materials. This book presents an in-depth overview of the novel developments made by the scientific leaders in the area of modern dielectric films for advanced microelectronic applications. It contains clear, concise explanations of material science of dielectric films and their problem for device operation, including high-k, low-k, medium-k dielectric films and also specific features and requirements for dielectric films used in the packaging technology. A broad range of related topics are covered, from physical principles to design, fabrication, characterization, and applications of novel dielectric films.