Since the 1932 discovery of cosmic ray positrons by C. D. Anderson and the 1934 discovery of beta decay positrons by Frederic and Irene Joliot-Curie, positrons have been used in a wide variety of experiments to find out how they interact with ordinary matter in its myriad forms. As a result, a number of unique and valuable positron probes are now available for determining the properties of inorganic matter and bio-materials. In a parallel development, the electron-positron atom (positronium) has been the subject of ever more precise measurements to look for unexpected departures from QED theory. Finally, since the first production of di-positronium molecules in 2007, it has been possible to make dense collections of positrons and positronium with the hope of soon being able to make a positronium Bose-Einstein condensate and observe its stimulated annihilation. A recent effort by a UCB-LANL-UCR collaboration to make 10× more intense 22Na positron sources at a reasonable cost is promising a revival in positron science in the USA.
Education and employment:
Princeton University, Physics B.A. 1962; Brandeis University, Physics Ph.D. 1967
Brandeis University, 1967-1975: Instructor and Assistant Professor of Physics.
AT&T Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies, 1975-2001: Member of Technical Staff.
University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, September 2001 to present: Professor of Physics.
Bell Laboratories Fellow Award, 1984; Fellow, American Physical Society, 1987 and AAAS, 2011.
Six most cited Publications:
B. Yurke, A. J. Turberfield, A.P. Mills, Jr., F. C. Simmel and J. L. Neumann, "A DNA-fuelled molecular machine made of DNA", Nature 406, 605-608 (2000). [1251]
A. P. Mills, Jr., "Observation of the Positronium Negative Ion", Phys. Rev. Lett. 46, 717 (1981). [285]
A.J. Turberfield., J. C. Mitchell, B. Yurke, A.P. Mills, Jr, M. I. Blakey and F. C. Simmel, “DNA fuel for free-running nanomachines”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 118102-1 (2003). [215]
A. P. Mills, Jr. and E. M. Gullikson, "Solid Neon Moderator for Producing Slow Positrons", Appl. Phys. Lett. 49, 1121 (1986). [213]
D. R. Harshman and A.P. Mills, Jr., "Concerning the Nature of High-Tc Superconductivity: Survey of Experimental Properties and Implications for Interlayer Coupling", Phys. Rev. B. 45, 10684 (1992). [205]
D. B. Cassidy and A. P. Mills, Jr., “The production of molecular positronium”, Nature 449, 195 (2007). [179]
