Transportation of intense microsecond electron beams in vacuum and their interaction with matter

Application of pulsed intense electron beams for material surface modification to improve wear, corrosion and oxidation resistance, fatigue strength etc. is an attractive technology with promising industrial perspectives. To get stable, reproducible results of the treatment it is necessary to investigate the formation and transportation of pulsed intense electron beams and their interaction with matter. A short review is presented of such investigations performed at the GESA-1 and GESA-2 facilities, producing the beams with electron kinetic energy 50–400 keV, current 200–500 A, pulse duration 5–250 µs, maximum power and energy density at the target of 6 MW/cm² and 500 J/cm², respectively.