Investigation of the pseudospark produced intense electron beam

Summary from only given, as follows. In recent years pseudospark discharges has been given a considerable attention as a source of intense pulsed electron beam. The beam parameters (peak current up to a few kA, pulse duration /spl sim/50 ns, beam diameter 1-3 mm, power density /spl sim/10/sup 8/ W/cm/sup 2/) makes it attractive for application in diverse areas, such as material processing, as a point source of soft X-ray, etc. The results of an experimental study of the pseudospark produced electron beam propagation to the target will be presented. The pseudospark chamber consists of a modular ten-gap electrodes and insulator discs stacked between anode and hollow cathode. The anode and electrodes have a 2 mm central hole for discharge formation and beam extraction. Breakdown voltage is about 30 kV, storage capacitance varied in the range from 100 pF to 3000 pF and a free-running (/spl sim/100 Hz) or triggered mode is used. The electron beam generated in the discharge propagates through the gas (Ar, He, N/sub 2/) to the target situated at the Faraday cup. An efficiency of the beam transportation through the drift region is determined by the neutralization of the space-charge of the beam and, as it has been shown, by the geometry of the return current circuit. An influence of the drift region geometry and the gas pressure on the stability of the beam propagation will be discussed. Time-resolved measurements of the beam current distribution for different configurations of the drift region will be reported.