
When to hold it, when to fold it, when to play it right

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]
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