Supershort Avalanche Electron Beam Research Articles

Supershort avalanche electron beams and x-ray in high-pressure nanosecond discharges

The properties of a supershort avalanche electron beam (S AEB) and X-ray radiation produced using a nanosecond volume discharge are examined. An electron beam of the runaway electrons with amplitude of ∼ 50 A has been obtained in air atmospheric pressure. It is reported that S AEB is formed in the angle above 2π sr. Three groups of the runaway electrons are formed in a gas diode under atmospheric air pressure, when nanosecond voltage pulses with amplitude of hundreds of kilovolts are applied. The electron beam has been generated behind a 45 μm thick AlBe foil in SF6 and Xe under the pressure of 2 arm, and in He under the pressure of about 12 atm. The paper gives the analysis of a generation mechanism of SAEB.

Generation and measurement of subnanosecond electron beams in gas-filled diodes

The results of experimental studies of generation of supershort avalanche electron beams (SAEBs) in gas-filled diodes and the analysis of the techniques for measurements of their amplitude-time characteristics are presented. The optimal conditions for obtaining the maximum SAEB amplitudes are described. It is shown that, at a 6-mm-diameter cathode and a 10-mm interelectrode distance, a beam is detected over the entire foil area, the diameter of which is 50 mm, and equals the inner diameter of the gas diode. A half-height duration of the beam-current pulse shorter than 90 ps was measured with the use of a collector with a 3-mm-diameter receiving element. The SAEB amplitude measured behind the 10-μm-thick Al foil at this pulse duration was ∼50 A.

On the generation of supershort avalanche electron beams and x radiation during nanosecond discharges in dense gases (results and discussion)

Results of investigations of the generation of subnanosecond runaway electron beams and x radiation in gas diodes at elevated pressures are presented. The energy distributions of runaway electron beams generated in air at atmospheric pressure and the amplitude and duration of beam current pulses downstream of the foil have been measured, and also the mechanism of generation of a runaway electron beam has been analyzed. To record the beam current pulses, a collector which provided ∼50-ps time resolution and a Tektronix TDS6604 real-time oscilloscope were used in the experiment. It has been shown that the new experimental data and model predictions confirm in the main the results earlier obtained at the Institute of High Current Electronics of the Russian Academy of Sciences Siberian Division. Evidence is cited that the key statements of L. P. Babich are erroneous.

Energy distribution of runaway and fast electrons upon nanosecond volume discharge in atmospheric-pressure air

Nanosecond space discharge in a gas-filled diode is promising for pumping of lasers and high-power lamps. The space charge formed in the absence of an additional preionization source has a few advantages. The energy distributions of the beam electrons and the X-ray spectrum are determined. It is demonstrated that several high-energy electron bunches are formed in such a discharge. The main contribution to the beam current measured behind the foil is related to the runaway electrons, which have energies of tens or hundreds of kiloelectronvolts (supershort avalanche electron beam (SAEB)). Fast electrons with energies of several or tens of kiloelectronvolts are responsible for the generation of the soft X rays in the discharge gap. Anomalous electrons whose energy is higher than the voltage across the gap provide for a minor (less than 5%) contribution to the beam current. The generation time of these electrons is equal to the SAEB generation time accurate to 0.1 ns. It is demonstrated that the anomalous electrons can be generated owing to the acceleration in the presence of the field in front of the moving background-electron multiplication wave. The spectra of the X-ray radiation generated by the fast electrons in the volume are calculated.

Supershort electron beam from air filled diode at atmospheric pressure

The properties of an electron beam (e-beam) formed in air under atmospheric pressure are reported. The nanosecond generators RADAN-303 (two devices) and RADAN-220, producing nanosecond voltage pulses with amplitude of up to 400 kV and subnanosecond rise time were used in the experiments. It was shown for the first time that the duration of e-beam current of gas diode behind the foil does not exceed 0.1 ns. The maximum amplitude of current of a supershort avalanche electron beam (SAEB) behind the foil was ∼400 A. The data on the influence of various parameters on e-beam current amplitude measured behind the foil were obtained. An electron beam with energy less than 60 keV and powerful X-ray radiation were formed in discharge gap simultaneously with SAEB.

High Repetition Rate Pulsed X-ray Source Employing Supershort Avalanche Electron Beams

The formation of a volume discharge in an open gas diode with coaxial electrodes was accompanied by hard X-ray emission. The conditions of supershort avalanche electron beam formation are retained at a pulse repetition rate up to 1.5 kHz.

Gas-lubricated bearings : W. A. Gross, survey in Appl. Mech. Rev., 15 (10) (1962) 765–769; 48 refs.

Supershort avalanche electron beam (SAEB) plays an important role in nanosecond-pulse discharges. This paper aims at reviewing experiments results on characteritics of SAEB and its spectra in different gases in nanosecond-pulse discharges. All the joint experiments were carried in the Institute of High Current Electronics of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Electrical Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In these experiments, the generation of a SAEB in SF6 in an inhomogeneous electric field was studied on three generators with pulse rise times of 0.3, 0.5 and ∼2 ns. Firstly, the comparison of SAEB parameters in SF6 with those obtained in other gases (air, nitrogen, argon, and krypton) is introduced. Secondly, the SAEB spectra in SF6 and air at pressures of 10 kPa (75 torr), and 0.1 MPa (750 torr) are reviewed and discussed. Finally, 1.5-D theoretical simulation of the supershort pulse of the fast electron beam in a coaxial diode filled with SF6 at atmospheric pressure is described. The simulation was carried out in the framework of hybrid model for discharge and runaway electron kinetics. The above research progress can provide better understanding of the investigation into the mechanism of nanosecond-pulse discharges.