High-current diode is intended for work in open air

High-power electron beams are successfully used for solving problems of plasma electronics. This paper is devoted to the description of a high current diode which is intended to be used in the open air. The device has been tested in actual outdoor conditions, mounted on the external surface of a building, as it is intended to be used. This device generates electromagnetic field momentum and X-rays in the open air. Developing a high voltage diode for operation in the open air required an increase in the dimensions of the insulators and of the vacuum chamber. For that reason, an independent study was also carried out, examining the effectiveness of long gaps in vacuum as electric insulation for megavolt impulses and examining the creation and propagation of a powerful microsecond impulse electron beam in these conditions