Four-stage autoacceleration for a subnanosecond, intense relativistic electron beam

Experiments on four-stage autoacceleration were carried out to generate a subnanosecond, intense relativistic electron beam (IREB). An annular electron beam with energy of 500 keV, current of 5 kA, and pulse length of 12 ns was injected into a series of four coaxial cavities with decreasing lengths. The energy and pulse length of the most accelerated part of the beam electrons were 1.1 MeV and 0.8 ns, respectively. The transmission line theory that was used to explain single-stage autoacceleration process was found to be applicable to the multistage autoacceleration process