Numerical model of EOS with large-area plasma cathode with mesh stabilization of the emission plasma boundary

Abstract

The source of electrons that generates a beam of a large cross section (BLCS) with the beam release into the atmosphere through a thin metal foil has been developed in the IHCE SB RAS. The electronic BLCS in this case is a superposition of elementary beams formed by separate emission structures. Their plasma boundary is stabilized by a fine-grained metal mesh, covered by a mask with round holes. The configuration of holes repeats the configuration of the holes in the support grid of the outlet foil window having a slightly larger diameter. In preliminary experiments, the maximum current-to-atmosphere output coefficient reached ∼70% of the current in the accelerating gap. The objective of this paper is to select a numerical model of the electron-optical system (EOS) for computer simulation and analysis of the characteristics of the formed elementary beams for further optimization of the source and increase the efficiency of beam extraction into the atmosphere.