Positron binding to alcohol molecules

Abstract

Results are presented for positron binding to a selection of molecules containing the hydroxyl functional group. These molecules, which span in the range of carbon atoms from 1 (methanol) to 4 (1-butanol), have moderate permanent dipole moments ranging from about 1.4 to 2.4 D. The dependence of the binding energy on the magnitude of the molecular dipole polarizability and static dipole moment is studied. An effect that appears to be due to the localization of the bound positron is discussed.