Intense electron beams produced in pseudospark and PCOHC for beam–plasma interaction experiments

High-voltage hollow-cathode glow discharges are used to generate intense pulsed electron beams with remarkable parameters. A comparison of the electron beam characteristics and the development of beam-induced plasma in the drift space is made for two of these configurations: preionization controlled open ended hollow cathode (PCOHC) and pseudospark, both in a multigap geometry. The dependency of electron beam parameters on external capacity, gas pressure and breakdown voltage is discussed.