Intense Electron Beam Research Articles

Characterization of self-magnetic pinch (SMP) radiographic diode performance on RITS-6 at Sandia National Laboratories. I. Diode dynamics, DC heating to extend radiation pulse

Radiographic diodes focus on an intense electron beam to a small spot size to minimize the source area of energetic photons for radiographic interrogation. The self-magnetic pinch (SMP) diode has been developed as such a source and operated as a load for the six-cavity radiographic integrated test stand (RITS-6) inductive voltage adder driver. While experiments support the generally accepted conclusion that a 1:1 aspect diode (cathode diameter equals anode–cathode gap) delivers optimum SMP performance, such experiments also show that reducing the cathode diameter, while reducing spot size, also results in reduced radiation dose, by as much as 50%, and degraded shot reproducibility. Analysis of the effective electron impingement angle on the anode converter with time made possible by a newly developed dose-rate array diagnostic indicates that fast-developing oscillations of the angle are correlated with early termination of the radiation pulse on many of the smaller-diameter SMP shots. This behavior as a function of relative cathode size persists through experiments with output voltages and currents up to 11.5 MV and 225 kA, respectively, and with spot sizes below approximately few millimeters. Since simulations to date have not predicted such oscillatory behavior, considerable discussion of the angle behavior of SMP shots is made to lend credence to the inference. There is clear anecdotal evidence that DC heating of the SMP diode region leads to stabilization of this oscillatory behavior. This is the first of two papers on the performance of the SMP diode on the RITS-6 accelerator.

Characterization of self-magnetic pinch radiographic diode performance on RITS-6 at Sandia National Laboratories. II. Coupling between the inductive voltage adder and the SMP load

The self-magnetic pinch (SMP) diode is a type of radiographic diode used to generate an intense electron beam for radiographic applications. At Sandia National Laboratories, SMP was the diode load for the six-cavity radiographic integrated test stand inductive voltage adder (IVA) driver operated in a magnetically insulated transmission line (MITL). The MITL contributes a flow current in addition to the current generated within the diode itself. Extensive experiments with a MITL of 40 Ω load impedance [T. J. Renk et al., Phys. Plasmas 29, 023105 (2022)] indicate that the additional flow current leads to results similar to what might be expected from a conventional high-voltage interface driver, where flow current is not present. However, when the MITL flow impedance was increased to 80 Ω, qualitatively different diode behavior was observed. This includes large retrapping waves suggestive of an initial coupling to low impedance as well as diode current decreasing with time even as the total current does not. A key observation is that the driver generates total current (flow + diode) consistent with the flow impedance of the MITL used. The case is made in this paper that the 80 Ω MITL experiments detailed here can only be understood when the IVA-MITL-SMP diode is considered as a total system. The constraint of fixed total current plus the relatively high flow impedance limits the ability of the diode (whether SMP or other type) to act as an independent load. An unexpected new result is that in tracking the behavior of the electron strike angle on the converter as a function of time, we observed that the conventional cIVx “Radiographic” radiation scaling (where x ∼ 2.2) begins to break down for voltages above 8 MV, and cubic scaling is required to recover accurate angle tracking.

Color centers in K–Na–Cl crystals induced by pulsed intense relativistic electron beam at 77 K

In order to reproduce the irradiation environment of Europa, NaCl-0-2mol%KCl crystals were grown and irradiated with pulsed intense relativistic electron beams at RT and 77 K in the optical absorbance spectra. The peak wavelength of the F-center was shortened by decreasing the measurement temperature and the KCl content. This phenomenon can be explained by the changes of the lattice constant and utilized to determine temperature and KCl content in the sea of Europa.

Multiple electron beam generation with different energies and comparable currents from a single cathode potential for high power traveling wave tubes (TWTs)

We present a technique for generating multiple electron beams with different energies and comparable currents from a single cathode stalk at a single potential using nested magnetically insulated coaxial diodes (MICDs). The application is for a multi-stream traveling wave tube. Particle-in-cell simulations are performed for an experimental parameter-based geometry where two thin-walled intense relativistic electron beams immersed in a strong uniform magnetic field propagate through a cylindrical vacuum channel. The analytically derived results are obtained by extending Fedosov’s solution for generating a hollow electron beam from an MICD on a cathode stalk in an infinite magnetic field. Two electron beams are generated and accelerated downstream assuming zero initial kinetic energy of the electrons from the cathodes. Results show both electron beam currents ranging from 66 to 2.8 kA with an energy difference ranging from 6% to 27% depending on voltages applied from 100 to 600 kV and the geometry of the two MICDs. An optimal geometry is a crucial factor in achieving the maximum energy difference between the electron beams for comparable currents. The analytical and numerical simulation results show good agreement. We are currently in the process of planning experiments using the electron beam accelerator (SINUS-6 at UNM) to validate the analytical and simulation results.

Large-scale and low-cost synthesis of porous carbon on the surface of commercial chlorinated polymers under the action of an intense electron beam of microsecond duration

The formation of a layer of porous carbon on the surface of low-cost commercial chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) with the addition of ferrocene under the action of an intense electron beam of microsecond duration was investigated. The polymer was irradiated using a pulsed fore-vacuum plasma source of a large-diameter electron beam (cross-sectional area ∼100 cm2), which allows minimizes polymer charging during irradiation. The methods of scanning and transmission electron microscopy, EDX spectroscopy, Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to study the carbon layers. We found that the carbon layer consists mainly of thin (∼10 nm) sheets of amorphous carbon containing curved graphene layers up to 4 nm in length. According to the XPS data analysis, the relative fraction of graphitized carbon (sp2-hybridized carbon) reaches 80% in the surface layer with a thickness of up to 3 nm. Possible mechanisms for the formation of a porous carbon layer on the CPVC surface were discussed. The porous carbon layer has a specific capacitance of 14 mF/cm2 at a scan rate of 5 mV/s. In many applications, it can be an alternative to the laser-induced graphene formed on the surface of expensive high-temperature polyimide.

Gamma-ray generation optimized by long and short pulses jointly driving double-layer target

In order to verify that the large-scale low-density plasma has a significant gain effect on the quality of the ultra-hot electron beam in ultra-strong ultra-short pulse laser interactions with matter, on the Shenguang-II upgraded laser facility, we carry out an experimental study on the optimization of relativistic electron beams that combine long and short pulse lasers to generate large-scale low-density pre-plasma. A nanosecond laser is used to ablate the thin hydrocarbon film. After a period of time, a large-scale low-density plasma is formed. The second picosecond short pulse laser then interacts with the formed low-density plasma, and accelerates the electrons to the relativity magnitude. Through the comparative analysis between different experimental conditions in the experiment, it is found that the existence of large-scale low-density plasma significantly increases the intensity of the relativistic electron beam along the laser propagation direction. In the comparative test of three shooting methods (long and short pulse combined driving double-layer target, short pulse driving double-layer target, short pulse driving single-layer target), we find that the energy bands above 1 MeV can be produced by the long pulse and the short pulse jointly driving double-layer target. The gamma-ray intensity is nearly twice that of the other two schemes. In addition, we also find in the experiment that when the time interval between nanosecond-picosecond pulses changes, the pre-plasma electron density and density scale length of the CH film irradiated by the nanosecond laser will be different. When the time interval is 0 ns, the expansion of the plasma is still insufficient, and the density distribution of the pre-plasma is steep. Part of the picosecond laser energy will be reflected at the critical density surface. Insufficient absorption of picosecond laser energy reduces the generation of relativistic electrons.When the time interval is 1 ns, the plasma state is more appropriate. The picosecond laser will form a self-focusing plasma channel in the plasma, thereby efficiently depositing energy, breaking through the energy limit of ponderomotive force acceleration, and obtaining more higher energy relativistic electrons. When the time interval is longer, such as 1.5 ns or more, the plasma can be fully expanded, the electron density becoming too low. Most of the picosecond laser will pass through the pre-plasma, affecting energy deposition and failing to generate more relativistic electrons.

Электронно-пучковая обработка поверхности металлических материалов, изготовленных аддитивным способом

A method for finishing the surface of metal materials manufactured by additive technologies with an intense pulsed electron beam, which can be an alternative to traditional processing methods is presented. The optimal irradiation modes for VT6 titanium alloy specimens produced by metal powder fusion and 308LSi stainless steel specimens produced by electron beam welding are determined. It is shown that the presented processing method leads to a visual decrease in porosity and a multiple decrease in the surface layer roughness (by 20 times (Ra)) of VT6 titanium alloy manufactured by an additive method. The surface roughness of 308LSi stainless steel specimens fabricated by electron beam welding decreases to 2.1 times in the longitudinal direction, to 5.2 times in the transverse relative to the surfacing plane. It is shown that the elemental composition, strength and tribological properties of the specimens do not change during irradiation in optimal modes. Tensile testing of irradiated specimens revealed an increase in tensile strength by 12%, ductility by 10% (VT6) and anisotropy of mechanical properties depending on the direction of tension relative to the surfacing plane (308LSi).

Role of Second Harmonic in the Optimization of Microwave Conversion Efficiency From an Intense Relativistic Electron Beam

In this article, the effect of second harmonic (SH) on the microwave conversion efficiency in a klystron-like relativistic backward wave oscillator (RBWO) is investigated by the nonlinear theory, particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, and experiments. The nonlinear theory of beam-wave interaction is developed with both the fundamental frequency and SH taken into account. The calculation results show that the optimized conversion efficiency is increased from 50% to 73% as the SH is included. The PIC simulations reveal that with the introduction of a dual-premodulation (DPM) cavity to increase the SH current and then the fundamental current modulation coefficient in a klystron-like RBWO, the conversion efficiency can be enhanced from 59% to 72%. In the klystron-like RBWO experiments, a significant efficiency increase from 58% for the device without the DPM cavity to 66% with the DPM cavity has been realized. As the electron beam power is 4 GW, the out powers of the fundamental frequency and SH are measured to be 2.6 GW and 100 MW, respectively. This provides helpful guidance to further increase the microwave conversion efficiency in high-power microwave sources driven by intense relativistic electron beams.

Experimental Study and Mathematical Modeling of the Processes Occurring in ZrN Coating/Silumin Substrate Systems under Pulsed Electron Beam Irradiation

This paper presents a study of a combined modification of silumin, which included deposition of a ZrN coating on a silumin substrate and subsequent treatment of the coating/substrate system with a submillisecond pulsed electron beam. The local temperature on the samples in the electron-beam-affected zone and the thickness of the melt zone were measured experimentally and calculated using a theoretical model. The Stefan problem was solved numerically for the fast heating of bare and ZrN-coated silumin under intense electron beam irradiation. Time variations of the temperature field, the position of the crystallization front, and the speed of the front movement have been calculated. It was found that when the coating thickness was increased from 0.5 to 2 μm, the surface temperature of the samples increased from 760 to 1070 °C, the rise rate of the surface temperature increased from 6 × 107 to 9 × 107 K/s, and the melt depth was no more than 57 μm. The speed of the melt front during the pulse was 3 × 105 µm/s. Good agreement was observed between the experimental and theoretical values of the temperature characteristics and melt zone thickness.

Kinetic Plasma Turbulence Generated in a 3D Current Sheet With Magnetic Islands

In this article we aim to investigate the kinetic turbulence in a reconnecting current sheet (RCS) with X- and O-nullpoints and to explore its link to the features of accelerated particles. We carry out simulations of magnetic reconnection in a thin current sheet with 3D magnetic field topology affected by tearing instability until the formation of two large magnetic islands using particle-in-cell (PIC) approach. The model utilizes a strong guiding field that leads to the separation of the particles of opposite charges, the generation of a strong polarization electric field across the RCS, and suppression of kink instability in the “out-of-plane” direction. The accelerated particles of the same charge entering an RCS from the opposite edges are shown accelerated to different energies forming the “bump-in-tail” velocity distributions that, in turn, can generate plasma turbulence in different locations. The turbulence-generated waves produced by either electron or proton beams can be identified from the energy spectra of electromagnetic field fluctuations in the phase and frequency domains. From the phase space analysis we gather that the kinetic turbulence may be generated by accelerated particle beams, which are later found to evolve into a phase-space hole indicating the beam breakage. This happens at some distance from the particle entrance into an RCS, e.g. about 7di (ion inertial depth) for the electron beam and 12di for the proton beam. In a wavenumber space the spectral index of the power spectrum of the turbulent magnetic field near the ion inertial length is found to be −2.7 that is consistent with other estimations. The collective turbulence power spectra are consistent with the high-frequency fluctuations of perpendicular electric field, or upper hybrid waves, to occur in a vicinity of X-nullpoints, where the Langmuir (LW) can be generated by accelerated electrons with high growth rates, while further from X-nullponts or on the edges of magnetic islands, where electrons become ejected and start moving across the magnetic field lines, Bernstein waves can be generated. The frequency spectra of high- and low-frequency waves are explored in the kinetic turbulence in the parallel and perpendicular directions to the local magnetic field, showing noticeable lower hybrid turbulence occurring between the electron’s gyro- and plasma frequencies seen also in the wavelet spectra. Fluctuation of the perpendicular electric field component of turbulence can be consistent with the oblique whistler waves generated on the ambient density fluctuations by intense electron beams. This study brings attention to a key role of particle acceleration in generation kinetic turbulence inside current sheets.

Stability and lifetime study of carbon nanotubes as cold electron field emitters for electron cooling in the CERN extra low energy antiproton ring

Electron cooling is a fundamental process to guarantee the beam quality in low energy antimatter facilities. In extra low energy antiproton, the electron cooler reduces the emittance blowup of the antiproton beam and thus delivers a focused and bright beam to the experiments at the unprecedentedly low kinetic energy of 100 keV. In order to achieve a cold beam at this low energy, the electron gun of the cooler must emit a monoenergetic and relatively intense electron beam. An optimization of the extra low energy antiproton electron cooler gun involving a cold cathode is studied, with the aim of investigating the feasibility of using carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as cold electron field emitters. CNTs are considered among the most promising field emitting material. However, stability data for emission operation over hundreds of hours, as well as lifetime and conditioning process studies to ensure optimal performance, are still incomplete or missing, especially if the purpose is to use them in operation in a machine such as extra low energy antiproton. This manuscript reports experiments that characterize these properties and ascertain whether CNTs are reliable enough to be used as cold electron field emitters for many hundreds of hours.

Multi-cycle of AISI 5135 steel modification by irradiation of the “film (Si (0.2 μm) + Nb (0.2 μm))/(AISI 5135 steel) substrate” system with an intense pulsed electron beam

Steel AISI 5135 surface layer modification carried out by high-cycle high-speed melting of the “film (Si + Nb)/(steel AISI 5135) substrate” system with an intense pulsed electron beam with an impact area of several square centimeters, have been implemented in a single vacuum cycle on the “COMPLEX” setup. The regime of the system “film (Si (0.2 μm) + Nb (0.2 μm))/(steel AISI 5135) substrate” irradiation with an intense pulsed electron beam (20 J/cm2, 200 μs, 3 pulses, 3 cycles) which makes it possible to form a surface layer with high thermal stability have been revealed. This layer is characterized by high hardness, more than 3 times higher than the hardness of AISI 5135 steel in the original (ferrite-pearlite structure) and wear resistance, more than 90 times higher than the wear resistance of the initial AISI 5135 steel. It is shown that the high strength and tribological properties of steel are due to the formation of the hardening phase particles (niobium silicide of Nb5Si3 composition).

Efficiency Enhancement of a High Power Radial-Line Relativistic Klystron Amplifier Driven by Disk Intense Electron Beam

The power conversion efficiency of relativistic klystron amplifiers (RKAs) is severely limited by the strong space-charge repulsion force caused by the intense electron beam. A radial-line RKA (RL-RKA) driven by the disk beam may provide great potentials to alleviate this issue due to its radially propagating characteristic of the electron beam. However, such potential advantage of high efficiency has not been fully exploited in previous research due to the insufficient beam modulation and relatively low beam-wave coupling strength. In this article, an initial RL-RKA is improved significantly by utilizing a three-stage cascaded bunching link, a four-gap output cavity, and a lengthened drift tube. The three-stage cascaded bunching link plays a role in increasing the fundamental harmonic current and decreasing the velocity spread of the electron beam simultaneously. The four-gap output cavity is designed to improve the coupling impedance and strengthen the beam-wave power conversion. Moreover, a drift tube is lengthened suitably to boost the fundamental harmonic current further. Eventually, the power conversion efficiency of the RL-RKA is enhanced up to 67% by these measures, which indicates a significant advance over the initial state of 38%.

Structure and mechanical properties of stainless-steel specimens, made by additive method, after pulsed electron beam treatment

The article presents a method for finishing the surface of metal products made by sequential electron-beam surfacing, which consists in modifying the surface with an intense low-energy electron beam of submillisecond duration. On the example of 308LSi stainless steel, the results of such processing are demonstrated, the optimal modes of exposure are determined. It is shown that as a result of pulsed electron-beam processing, a homogeneous polycrystalline structure without cracks is formed on the surface with unchanged, relative to the initial material, elemental composition, strength (microhardness) and tribological (wear rate) properties. In this case, the surface roughness is reduced to 2.1 times in the longitudinal direction relative to the surfacing plane, to 5.2 times in the transverse direction. Tensile tests of specimens showed anisotropy of mechanical properties depending on the direction of tension relative to the surfacing plane, which decreases after surface pulse electron-beam processing.

Structure and properties of high-chromium steel irradiated with a pulsed electron beam and nitrided in a low-pressure gas discharge plasma

Ion-plasma saturation of the surface of machine parts and mechanisms with gas elements (nitrogen, oxygen, carbon) is currently one of the most effective and widely used methods of surface hardening of metal products for various purposes in the industry of developed countries. The aim of this research is to develop a complex method for modifying the surface layer of AISI 310 steel, combining irradiation with an intense pulsed electron beam and subsequent nitriding in the plasma of a low-pressure gas discharge. As a result of the studies performed, the optimal parameters of modification were revealed, which make it possible to increase the hardness of the surface layer of steel by more than 11 times, relative to the hardness of the initial material, and 8 times, relative to the hardness of steel irradiated with a pulsed electron beam. In this case, the wear resistance of the steel exceeds the wear resistance of the original and irradiated material by more than 100 times. It has been established that the high strength and tribological properties of the modified steel are due to the formation of a two-phase (iron nitride and chromium nitride) layered nanoscale structure in the surface layer.

Abatement of antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance genes from cephalosporin fermentation residues by ionizing radiation: From lab-scale study to full-scale application

The antibiotic fermentation residues derived from the production of a cephalosporin precursor, deacetyloxy cephalosporin C (DOCPC), classified as “Hazardous Waste” in China, was treated by ionizing irradiation from lab-scale experiment to full-scale application. From bench-scale experiments, it was observed that gamma irradiation exhibited a little higher effect to decompose DOCPC than electron beam (EB) irradiation. The removal efficiency of DOCPC reached 97.5% by γ-ray irradiation and 92.9% by electron beam (EB) irradiation at the same absorbed dose of 50 kGy. The rate constant of DOCPC degradation was 1.4 fold (in the fermentation residues) and 1.1 fold (in the supernatant) higher by γ-ray irradiation than that by EB treatment. Oxidation by ·OH was mainly responsible for DOCPC decomposition. The beta-lactam resistance gene cphA was found in the raw DOCPC fermentation residues, with the absolute and relative abundance of 5.1 ⅹ 103 copies/mL and 0.15%, respectively. After 50 kGy of ionizing irradiation, the relative abundance of cphA was abated by 57%. The full-scale EB accelerator was constructed to treat the fermentation residues continuously with the capacity of 100–120 m3/d. During 2 months of operation, the removal efficiency of DOCPC was in the range of 61.5 ± 10.3% with EB intensity of 49 mA, roller frequency of 10 Hz and energy of 1.5 MeV, and it increased to 75–84% after the second irradiation. Ionizing radiation is a promising alternative to treat the antibiotic fermentation residues and the development of electron accelerator and irradiation vessel specific for the fermentation residues treatment is critical for improving the efficiency of industrial application.

A Coaxial High Power Output Cavity Operating in Hybrid TM₀₁-TM₀₂ Modes for Repetitive Operation

An output cavity operating in hybrid TM01-TM02 modes is investigated for the sake of producing repetitive high power microwaves (HPMs) in coaxial electromagnetic structures. To suppress anode plasma formation, the generated microwave is changed to be extracted inwards, so that the intense electron beam can be collected on the outer conductor, which makes beam collector cooling feasible practically in this topology. The issue of radio frequency breakdown is addressed by using a large extraction waveguide, and particularly the external quality factor required for optimal beam wave interaction is achieved by adjusting mode coupling. The design is examined in an X-band triaxial klystron amplifier by particle-in-cell simulation, which shows HPM with a power of 2 GW can be generated with an efficiency of about 36%.

Modeling the physics of an electron-beam generated plasma through a rigid-beam approximation

A new model predicts the plasma created when an intense electron beam is injected into gas.

Modeling intense-electron-beam generated plasmas using a rigid-beam approximation

A model of an electron-beam–plasma system is introduced to model the electrical breakdown physics of low-pressure nitrogen irradiated by an intense pulsed electron beam. The rapidly rising beam current induces an electric field, which drives a return current in the plasma. The rigid-beam model is a reduction of the problem geometry to cylindrical coordinates and simplifications to Maxwell's equations that are driven by a prescribed electron beam current density. The model is convenient for comparing various reductions of the plasma dynamics and plasma chemistry while maintaining a good approximation to the overall magnitude of the beam-created electric field. The usefulness of this model is demonstrated by coupling the rigid-beam model to a fluid plasma model and a simplified nitrogen plasma chemistry. The dynamics of this coupled system are computed for a range of background gas pressures, and the results are compared with experimental measurements. At pressures 1 Torr and above, the simulated line-integrated electron densities are within a factor of two of measurements and show the same trend with pressure as observed in experiment.

Experimental Tests of CW Resonance Accelerator With 7.5 MeV High Intensity Electron Beam

Experimental Tests of CW Resonance Accelerator With 7.5 MeV High Intensity Electron Beam