Accumulator for the production of intense positron pulses

An intense pulsed positron source has been developed using a buffer gas trap to accumulate large numbers of positrons and create a dense plasma, which may then be bunched and spatially focused. Areal densities of more than 3x10(10) e(+) cm(-2) have been achieved in a subnanosecond pulse producing an instantaneous positron current of more than 10 mA. We describe various aspects of the device including a detection technique specifically developed for use with intense positron pulses. Two applications are also described as well as future experiments such as the formation of positronium molecules and the positronium Bose-Einstein condensate. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.