Production of relativistic positronium in collisions of photons and electrons with nuclei and atoms

Abstract

We consider the production of ultrarelativistic positronium (Ps) in $γA \to Ps + A$ and $e A \to Ps + e A$ processes where $A$ is an atom or a nucleus with charge $Ze$. For the photoproduction of para- and ortho-Ps and the electroproduction of para-Ps we obtain the most complete description compared with previous works. It includes high order $Z α$ corrections and polarization effects. The accuracy of the obtained cross sections is determined by omitted terms of the order of the inverse Ps Lorentz factor squared. The studied high order multi-photon electroproduction of ortho-Ps dominates for the collision of electrons with heavy atoms over the bremsstrahlung production from the electron via a virtual photon proposed by Holvik and Olsen. Our results complete and correct the studies of those authors.