Control of gigawatt REB pulse duration using gas injection

A technique for controlling the voltage and current pulse duration of a gigawatt relativistic electron beam (REB) was investigated. The pulse duration of a beam of 250 keV and 10 kA was controlled from 60 ns to 10 ns by injecting gases (air,, argon, and hydrogen) into the diode gap at a pressure ranging from 10^-5 torr to 10^-1. The observed dependence of the pulse duration on the nature and pressure of the gas is explained in terms of volume ionization of the gas by beam electrons. It is concluded that the pulse duration is governed by the time at which the plasma density created by the beam reaches a critical value of the order of beam electron number density     

Observation of Raman forward scattering and electron accelerationin the relativistic regime

Raman forward scattering (RFS) is observed in the interaction of a high intensity (>10¹⁸ W/cm²) short pulse (<1 ps) laser with an underdense plasma (n_e~10¹⁹ cm ^-3). Electrons are trapped and accelerated up to 44 MeV by the high-amplitude plasma wave produced by RFS. The laser spectrum is strongly modulated by the interaction, showing sidebands at the plasma frequency. Furthermore, as the quiver velocity of the electrons in the high electric field of the laser beam becomes relativistic, various effects are observed which can be attributed to the variation of electron mass with laser intensity     

Experimental study of a plasma-filled backward wave oscillator

Experimental studies of a plasma-filled X-band backward-wave oscillator (BWO) are presented. Depending on the background gas pressure, microwave frequency upshifts of up to 1 GHz appeared along with an enhancement by a factor of 7 in the total microwave power emission. The bandwidth of the microwave emission increased from ⩽0.5 GHz to 2 GHz when the BWO was working at the RF power enhancement pressure region. The RF power enhancement appeared over a much wider pressure range in a high beam current case (10-100 mT for 3 kA) than in a lower beam case (80-115 mT for 1.6 kA). The plasma-filled BWO has higher power output than the vacuum BWO over a broader region of magnetic guide field strength. Trivelpiece-Gould modes (T-G modes) are observed with frequencies up to the background plasma frequency in a plasma-filled BWO. Mode competition between the T-G modes and the X-band Tm₀₁ mode prevailed when the background plasma density was below 6×10¹¹ cm^-3 . At a critical background plasma density of ≃8×10¹¹ cm^-3 power enhancement appeared in both X-band and the T-G modes. Power enhancement of the S-band in this mode collaboration region reached up to 8 dB. Electric fields measured by the Stark-effect method were as high as 34 kV/cm while the BWO power level was 80 MW. These electric fields lasted throughout the high-power microwave pulse     

高功率微波输出窗内侧击穿动力学的PIC/MCC模拟研究

高功率微波在受控热核聚变加热、微波高梯度加速器、高功率雷达、定向能武器、超级干扰机及冲击雷达等方面有着重要的应用.本文针对高功率微波输出窗内侧氩气放电击穿过程,建立了二次电子倍增和气体电离的一维空间分布、三维速度分布（1D3V）模型,并开发了相应的PIC/MC程序代码.研究了气压、微波频率、微波振幅对放电击穿的影响.结果表明：在真空情况下,介质窗放电击穿只存在二次电子倍增过程;在低气压和稍高气压时,二次电子倍增和气体电离共存;在极高气压时,气体电离占主导.给出了不同气压下电子、离子的密度和静电场的空间分布.此外还观察到,在500 mTorr时,随着微波振幅或微波频率的变化,气体电离出现的时刻和电离产生的等离子体峰值位置有较大差异,尤其是当微波频率（GHz）在数值上是微波振幅（MV/m）的2倍时,气体电离出现的较早.     

Atomic collision processes relevant for heavy ion beam probes

Atomic collision processes of fast Tl and Cs ions with particles in a high temperature fusion plasma are investigated. At low beam energies (<5 MeV), ion impact collisions and charge exchange processes can be neglected compared to electron ionization processes. At beam energies above 5 MeV and high plasma ion temperatures, collisions with ions start to contribute significantly to signal generation and attenuation. Also, collisions with the neutral background gas in the beamlines can attenuate the ion beam significantly and lower the signal level, if the vacuum pressure is above 10^-4 Torr. For the heavy ion beam probes operating today, only electron impact ionization processes are important and accurate predictions of the secondary signal level and electron density profile measurements are possible because of the good knowledge of electron impact ionization cross sections for Cs ⁺ and Tl⁺ ions     

Shortening of the radiation pulse from a plasma relativistic microwave generator in numerical calculations with plasma simulation by the particle-in-cell method

Spontaneous shortening of radiation pulses of Cherenkov microwave generators based on the interaction of a high-current relativistic electron beam with preliminarily generated plasma was studied in a numerical model. Microwave pulse shortening is caused by the appearance of a gradually expanding region near the collector, from which plasma is expelled by an electrostatic field of relativistic electrons. The absence of plasma results in a severalfold decrease in the plasma wave reflectance from the collector and violation of generator self-excitation conditions. The microwave emission duration increases with the plasma ion mass.     

General scaling of pulse shortening in explosive-emission-drivenmicrowave sources

Microwave generation in devices that depend on synchronization between an electron beam and a resonant cavity or slow wave structure can be disrupted by changes in either. Explosive-emission-driven microwave sources use plasma as the electron source in the diode. This plasma is conductive enough to act as the boundary for both the applied diode voltage and the microwave electric field. The motion of this plasma can effectively change the dimensions of either the electron beam diode or the cavity and will thereby cause resonance destruction. This shortens the microwave pulse length τ_μ. A general model of the process predicts that, for a Child-Langmuir diode, microwave power falls as P∝τ_μ^-5/3 and that pulse energy falls as E∝τ_μ^-2/3. Therefore, energy efficiency declines as the pulse length is extended. We compare with data from magnetrons, MILO's and BWO's, and find that over some regions of operation the pulse length and energy from these explosive-emission-driven microwave sources agree with the plasma motion model scaling. At these applied drive voltages and output powers the microwave pulse length can be increased by finding cathode materials that generate slower plasmas     

Microwave resonant-cavity-produced air discharges

Air discharges produced in an Asmussen microwave cavity (0-300 W, 2.45 GHz, CW) between 0.5 and 100 torr were investigated. Gas temperatures (1000-2500 K) were estimated from rotational temperatures obtained from optical emission spectroscopy (OES). These agreed with a simple model of the heat transfer of the gas where joule heating was included as the source term. Vibrational temperatures (3700-7300 K) were also determined from OES and followed the electron energy trends. Electron density (10¹¹-10¹³ cm^-3), collisional frequency (10¹¹-10¹² s^-1), and plasma conductivity (0.09-0.3 (Ω-m)^-1) were calculated from a self-consistent electromagnetic model of the cavity where the plasma was assumed to be a lossy dielectric. Absorbed power, electric, and optical probe measurements were used as the input parameters to the model     

等离子体对相对论返波管工作影响的粒子模拟

金属高频结构的射频击穿是引起功率下降和脉冲缩短的重要原因,是限制高功率微波(HPM)向更高功率、更长脉冲发展的重要因素。射频击穿的物理过程极其复杂,并且开展射频击穿研究对实验条件等要求高,因此粒子模拟是研究射频击穿的重要手段。通过在慢波结构表面设置爆炸发射电子和离子的方式模拟等离子体对一个X波段的相对论返波振荡器(RBWO)和一个Ka波段的RBWO工作的影响。粒子模拟结果表明,对于分段式慢波结构,后段慢波结构产生等离子体会对电子束的调制造成影响,进而影响器件正常工作,引起微波功率下降。当等离子体由质量较轻的正离子和电子组成时,会对束波作用造成更大的影响,引起较大的输出功率下降。相同密度的射频击穿等离子体对Ka波段RBWO工作的影响大于对X波段RBWO的影响。     

高功率微波窗内外表面闪络击穿流体模拟研究

建立理论模型,将电磁场时域有限差分方法与等离子体流体模型结合,编制一维电磁场与等离子流体耦合程序,数值研究了3 GHz高功率微波窗内外表面闪络击穿的不同物理过程.研究结果表明:外表面闪络击穿中,输出微波脉宽缩短(未完全截止),窗体前均方根场强呈驻波分布,波节与波腹位置不变,窗体外表面形成有一层高密(约10~(21)·m~(-3)量级)极薄(约mm量级)等离子体(扩散缓慢),入射波可部分透过该薄层等离子体,脉宽缩短主要源于等离子体吸收效应;降低初始等离子体密度、厚度、入射波场强及缩短入射波脉宽等方式,可不同程度地改善输出脉宽缩短效应.内表面闪络击穿中,窗体前均方根场强亦出现驻波分布f但波节与波腹位置随时间变化),等离子体向波源方向运动;强释气下,输出脉宽缩短(未完全截止),形成多丝状高密(约10~(21)·m~(-3)量级)极薄(约mm量级)等离子体区域(扩散缓慢),间距1/4微波波长,脉宽缩短主要源于等离子体吸收效应;弱释气、低场强下,脉宽缩短有所改善(但最终截止),形成多带状致密(约10~(18)·m~(-3)量级)略厚(mm-cm量级)等离子体区域(扩散较快),间距1/4波长,脉宽缩短主要源于等离子体吸收效应;弱释气、高场强下,脉宽缩短严重(很快截止),形成块状高密(约10~(21)·m~(-3)量级)较厚(约cm量级)等离子体区域(扩散迅速),脉宽缩短主要源于等离子体反射效应.     

微脉冲电子枪动力学实验研究

微脉冲电子枪是一种利用次级电子倍增效应产生强流电子束的微波电子枪.使用氧化镁作为阴极材料进行了微脉冲电子枪的高功率热测实验, 给出了不同射频功率下的发射电流波形, 并观察到了高阶次级电子倍增效应.实验结果与稳态和瞬态粒子动力学以及模拟计算结果定性符合.     

Pressure dependence of plasma parameters in medium-vacuum nitrogenarc discharge with the titanium cathode

The plasma properties of a medium-vacuum nitrogen arc discharge from a titanium cathode were studied. The arc chamber use was 400 mm in diameter and 600 mm in length. The cathode diameter and thickness were 64 and 25 mm, respectively. The experimental conditions are given as follows: pressure range=1×10^-3~2×10^-1 torr; N₂ gas flow rate=6 ml/min; arc current=50 A. Electric probe characteristics are measured as a function of pressure and distance from the cathode surface. The analytical results obtained show that the electron energy distribution takes 1-Mx at pressures above 1×10^-2 torr but 2-Mx at pressures under 4×10^-2 torr and that the electron density has a maximum value at a certain pressure. The Ti⁺, Ti⁺⁺, and N ⁺₂ ion spectral intensities are measured as a function of pressure and distance from the cathode surface. On comparison of these results and the electron density, the Ti⁺ spectral intensity turns out to be proportional to that of the electron density. This suggests that the major ion in the plasma volume is of the Ti⁺ species     

High density electron-hole plasma in Si induced by femtosecond pulses

High electron and hole (e-h) densities of about 10²² cm^-3 have been produced in silicon, using 620 nm wavelength laser pulses of 100 fs duration. These density values are determined by measuring the dependence of the pulse self-reflectivity on its energy. By comparison with a fully non-linear model of light propagation, we show that dissipation processes inside the plasma are dominated by e-h collisions, with a characteristic time of 3 × 10^-16s. The onset of melting within 100 fs and its nature, considering the high plasma density, are also discussed in view of scattered light measurements.     

Controlling the radiation frequency of a plasma relativistic microwave oscillator during a nanosecond pulse

It is shown experimentally and by numerical simulation that the radiation frequency of a 50-MW plasma relativistic microwave oscillator can be varied within 15% during a 60-ns-wide pulse by varying the plasma concentration. The plasma is generated by pre-ionization of a low-pressure gas. When the degree of ionization increases in a microwave field, the radiation frequency rises. Conversely, when plasma electrons are forced out by the electrostatic field of a high-current relativistic electron beam, the radiation frequency declines. By appropriately selecting the initial gas pressure and degree of gas ionization, one can control both trends and thereby the radiation frequency.     

用于电真空器件的金属材料蒸发特性

随着现代通信卫星技术的发展, 对微波真空电子器件的寿命和可靠性提出了更高的要求, 广泛应用于微波真空电子器件的蒙乃尔、不锈钢等金属材料的蒸发性能直接影响器件的可靠性和寿命. 本文采用飞行时间质谱仪(TOFMS)研究金属材料蒸发性能. 利用TOFMS测试了真空本底、蒙乃尔、不锈钢等各种金属材料蒸发物的成分和大小. 测试结果表明TOFMS具有很高的灵敏度, 是一种非常快捷的研究金属材料蒸发的实验手段. 测试结果发现在远低于Mn, Cu及Cr熔点的温度下, 蒙乃尔、不锈钢材料加热到800 ℃左右时就开始出现Mn, Cu元素的蒸发, 在900 ℃时就有大量Mn, Cu和Cr元素的蒸发, 这些蒸发物蒸发到绝缘陶瓷上会使电子枪的绝缘性能下降, 因而蒙乃尔和不锈钢不适用于阴极电子枪零件, 尤其不适用于长寿命高真空器件的阴极电子枪零件以及其他容易受到电子轰击的零件(如阳极、收集极等). 研究了在超高真空状态下加热时间对蒙乃尔和不锈钢材料表面结构的影响. 发现蒙乃尔和不 锈钢在900 ℃ 的温度下加热一段时间后, 其表面结构有了很大的变化, 出现了大量的孔洞和晶界, 并且随着处理时间的延长, 材料的晶粒间界逐渐变大, 从而使材料的强度下降、出现渗气甚至漏气等现象, 因此蒙乃尔和不锈钢材料制作的零件尤其是薄壁零件不宜长时间在超高真空状态下高温加热. 结合相关的理论知识对此现象进行了详细的分析.     

A hybrid mode of one- and two-surface multipactor on grooved dielectric surface

A hybrid mode of one- and two-surface multipactor on the grooved dielectric surface is studied in detail using both an analytical approach and two-dimensional particle-in-cell(2D PIC) simulations. When the groove width L eE_0/(4πm_ef~2),there are one-surface multipactor and one-order two-surface multipactor on the grooved dielectric surface, and only one slope of the groove has the multipactor anytime. When L eE0/(4πme f~2), both slopes may have the multipactors. The electron surface density of the multipactor discharge has a sharp increase at the length L = eE_0/(4πm_ef~2).     

Importance of high local cathode spot pressure on the attachment ofthermal arcs on cold cathodes

The importance of having high local cathode spot pressures for the self-sustaining operation of a thermal arc plasma on a cold cathode is theoretically investigated. Applying a cathode sheath model to a Cu cathode, it is shown that cathode spot plasma pressures ranging 7.4-9.2 atm and 34.2-50 atm for electron temperatures of ~1 eV are needed to account for current densities of 10⁹ and 10¹⁰ A·m^-2, respectively. The study of the different contributions from the ions, the emission electrons, and the back-diffusing plasma electrons to the total current and heat transfer to the cathode spot has allowed us to show the following. 1) Due to the high metallic plasma densities, a strong heating of the cathode occurs and an important surface electric field is established at the cathode surface causing strong thermo-field emission of electrons. 2) Due to the presence of a high density of ions in the cathode vicinity, an important fraction of the total current is carried by the ions and the electron emission is enhanced. 3) The total current is only slightly reduced by the presence of back-diffusing plasma electrons in the cathode sheath. For a current density j_tot=10⁹ A·m^-2 , the current to the cathode surface is mainly transported by the ions (76-91% of j_tot while for a current density j_tot = 10¹⁰ A·m^-2, the thermo-field electrons become the main current carriers (61-72% of j_tot). It is shown that the cathode spot plasma parameters are those of a high pressure metallic gas where deviations from the ideal gas law and important lowering of the ionization potentials are observed     

Electron orbit in a combined plasma wave wiggler and an axial guidemagnetic field free electron laser near magnetoresonance

The nonlinear electron orbit dynamics is presented for a combined electrostatic plasma wave wiggler and an axial guide magnetic field free electron laser near magnetoresonance. The perpendicular orbit equation is derived and simplified identical to the wave-driven nonlinear oscillator equation but with different expressions of parameters. The nonlinear effect induced by the inclusion of β_⊥² in the relativistic factor γ is dominant in governing the perpendicular wiggling velocity and the orbit excursion even in the case of β_⊥²≪β_∥² , where γ=(1-β₁²-β_∥ ²)^-1/2. The dependence of the maximum perpendicular wiggling velocity and the orbit excursion on the wiggler constant, the wiggler frequency, and the initial parameters of motion is given analytically     

双面次级电子倍增效应向单面次级电子倍增效应发展规律的研究

次级电子倍增效应引起的输出窗失效问题往往给微波器件造成灾难性的影响, 是限制微波器件功率进一步提升的瓶颈. 以S波段高功率盒形窗为研究对象, 针对盒形窗内无氧铜金属边界与陶瓷介质窗片相对的区域, 建立了研究法向电场作用下次级电子倍增效应的Monte-Carlo模型. 通过拟合这两种材料间双面次级电子倍增以及单面次级电子倍增效应的敏感曲线, 对次级电子倍增发展特点进行详细分析, 获得了金属与介质之间的次级电子由双面倍增向单面倍增演变的规律.     

Microwave pulse shortening in plasma relativistic high-current microwave electronics

We describe mechanisms of microwave pulse shortening in radiation sources with the power of about 10⁸ W based on interaction between relativistic electron beams of nanosecond duration and preformed plasma. The shortening is mainly due to the electron return flow through the plasma, which leads to a multiple decrease in the linear gain of the microwave by the relativistic electron beam and in the reflection coefficient of the plasma wave that provides the generator feedback. The ways to eliminate the effect of microwave pulse shortening are proposed.