Formation of electron beam and volume discharge in different gases 1–6 atmosphere pressure

It has been shown that the use of gas diodes with cathode electric field enhancement and voltage pulses having a short leading edge allow to form high-current subnanosecond electron beams. An electron beam appears at voltage pulse leading edge with duration not more than 0.3 ns. On the beam current termination the discharge is usually continued in a quasi-stationary mode having a volume character. With a diode filled in with air under atmospheric pressure, beam current amplitude over ∼240 A at a pulse duration of ∼0.2 ns and current density of ∼40 A/cm² was obtained. It has been also shown that at a small gas diode inductance the subnanosecond electron beams are formed in various gases in a wide pressure range (up to 6 atm in helium, and up to 4 atm in nitrogen). It has been established that with the new method an electron beam is formed due to critical field reached between an anode and plasma propagating from a cathode.