Fragments and debris generation using a high power pulsed electron beam

The high power Laser Megajoule (LMJ) will be constructed at CEA/DAM/CESTA near Bordeaux, in the south west part of France. Among the problems encountered in the LMJ experimental chamber, there is the impact of the debris produced after a laser shot on the silica optical windows. The production of debris as well as the behavior of optical materials under their influence can be simulated and studied with a pulsed electron beam. We present in this paper the first experimental results obtained by this original technique.