Trap-based positron beams

The ability to accumulate large numbers of positrons in Penning traps and to manipulate them using nonneutral plasma techniques offers a completely new approach to creating high quality positron beams. This approach provides significant advantages over conventional positron beam technology with regard to beam brightness, flux, and system cost. The application of these techniques has already resulted in a new generation of bright, ultracold positron beams with state-of-the-art performance. These beams are currently being exploited in the area of atomic physics studies, but they also have the potential for uses in other areas of science and technology, such as materials science. The current status of trap-based positron beams is described and the potential for further development is discussed.