Observation of threshold effects in positron scattering from the noble gases

Channel coupling is a phenomenon that has been investigated for many scattering processes, and is responsible for the formation of cusps or steps in the cross sections for open scattering channels at, or near, the onset of a new scattering channel. It has long been speculated that the opening of the positronium formation channel may lead to the formation of such cusp features in the elastic positron scattering cross section. In this work, elastic scattering of positrons has been measured in the region of the positronium formation threshold for the noble gases He-Xe. Cusplike behavior is observed and, while the features which are observed appear broad, they represent a magnitude of between 4 and 15% of the total elastic cross section. No evidence is found of any other features in this region, at least within the uncertainty of the present data, discounting the possibility of scattering resonances.