Electron flux spatial distribution in an ultrashort avalanche electron beam generated at atmospheric air pressure

The results of experimental study on generation of ultrashort avalanche electron beams (UAEB) in gas-filled diodes are considered. The spatial distribution of the flux of runaway electrons and X-rays generated in the gas diode fed by nanosecond high-voltage pulses was studied. It was shown that the UAEB in the gas-filled diode (at an air pressure of 1 atm) with sharply nonuniform electric field is generated from the interelectrode region into a solid angle exceeding 2π sr. Narrowing of the cathode-anode gap results in a decrease in the current amplitude of the beam generated to side walls of the gas diode and an increase in the beam current pulse duration in both axial and radial directions. Current pulses of the beam initiated from the side surface of the tubular cathode were detected.     

Generation of runaway electron subnanosecond pulses in nitrogen and helium at a voltage of 25 kV across the gap

The formation of a runaway electron beam in helium and nitrogen at a generator voltage of 25 kV is studied experimentally. At low generator voltages, an ultrashort avalanche electron beam (UAEB) is shown to form at the flat top of the voltage pulse and its delay time relative to the leading edge of the pulse may attain several tens of nanoseconds. The conditions of runaway electron beam generation depend on the pressure in the gas-filled diode. The FWHM of the beam current varies from 200 ps to several nanoseconds. Beam electron energy distributions at different pressures are obtained. It is found that, if the gap is preionized by an additional source, the UAEB generation conditions break.     

Generation regimes for the runaway-electron beam in gas

The generation of the runaway-electron beam in nitrogen and helium is studied at an oscillator voltage of about 25 kV. Various regimes of the electron beam generation with a pulse duration ranging from 200 ps to several nanoseconds are realized depending on the pressure in the gas diode. An ultrashort avalanche electron beam (UAEB) with a low (10–20%) variation in the voltage across the gap is obtained at a relatively high pressure in the gas diode. The UAEB generation can be delayed relative to the leading edge of the voltage pulse by tens of nanoseconds at low oscillator voltages.     

Spectra of electrons and X-ray photons in a diffusive nanosecond discharge in air under atmospheric pressure

The spectra of electrons and X-ray photons generated in nanosecond discharges in air under atmospheric pressure are investigated theoretically and experimentally. Data for the discharge formation dynamics in a nonuniform electric field are gathered. It is confirmed that voltage pulses with an amplitude of more than 100 kV and a rise time of 1 ns or less causing breakdown of an electrode gap with a small-radius cathode generate runaway electrons, which can be divided into three groups in energy (their energy varies from several kiloelectronvolts to several hundreds of kiloelectronvolts). It is also borne out that the formation of the space charge is due to electrons appearing in the gap at the cathode and a major contribution to the electron beam behind the foil comes from electrons of the second group, the maximal energy of which roughly corresponds to the voltage across the gap during electron beam generation. X-ray radiation from the gas-filled diode results from beam electron slowdown both in the anode and in the gap. It is shown that the amount of group-3 electrons with an energy above the energy gained by runaway electrons (in the absence of losses) at a maximal voltage across the gap is much smaller than the amount of group-2 electrons.     

X-ray radiation due to nanosecond volume discharges in air under atmospheric pressure

The formation of nanosecond discharges in atmospheric-pressure air versus the applied pulse polarity and discharge gap geometry is studied. It is shown that the polarity of high-voltage nanosecond pulses and the electrode configuration have a minor effect on the volume discharges under a variety of experimental conditions. When the spacing between needle-like electrodes is large, the discharge is asymmetric and its glow is weakly dependent on the sign of the potential applied to the electrode. Negative voltage pulses applied to the potential electrode generate X-ray radiation from both the surface and volume. For a subnanosecond rise time of the voltage pulse and diffusion character of the discharge, the X-ray radiation comes from the brightly glowing region of a corona discharge. The average values of the fast electron velocity and energy in nitrogen are calculated. At field strengths E/p < 170 kV/cm atm, the average velocity of a fast electron bunch is constant because of central collisions. At field strengths E/p > 170 kV/cm atm, fast electrons run away. Central collisions are the reason for X-ray radiation from the volume.     

Production of high-energy electron beams in moderate and high-pressure gases

The feasibility of producing high-current, high-energy electron beams was studied for the application of nanosecond voltage pulses with amplitudes to 300 kV in accelerating gaps. The pressures of the gap gases (helium and nitrogen) measured from 10^–1 torr to atmospheric. Experiments showed that the placement of two barriers in the accelerating gap significantly increased the electron beam current due to an increase in the burn time of the volume discharge under conditions involving significant over-voltage in the electrical field. Electron beams with energies of up to 250 keV and currents up to 260 A were obtained.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 2, pp. 7–9, February, 1992.     

Effect of gas pressure on amplitude and duration of electron beam current in a gas-filled diode

The parameters of an electron beam generated in helium in the pressure range p = 10⁻⁴−12 atm are studied. Nanosecond high-voltage pulses are applied to a gap between a tubular cathode and planar anode, which is made of 45-μm-thick AlBe foil. Behind the anode, an electron beam is detected at a helium pressure of 12 atm. The pressure dependence of the beam current amplitude shows three peaks at p ≈ 0.01, ≈ 0.07, and ≈ 3 atm. The beam-induced glow of a luminescent film placed behind the foil and the discharge glow at different helium pressures in the gas-filled diode are photographed.     

Fast generation of an electron beam in a magnetron gun with a secondary-emission metallic cathode

The formation of an electron layer and the generation of an electron beam in magnetron guns where secondary emission is triggered by nanosecond pulses are studied. In the guns with small cross sizes, hollow electron beams with an outer diameter of 3–6 mm are generated. The beam current is 1–2 A, and the cathode voltage is 5–7 kV. Results obtained indicate that the generation of nanosecond beam-current pulses is a possibility.     

Optical characteristics and plasma parameters of a blue-green exciplex lamp

The optical characteristics and plasma parameters of an exciplex lamp radiating in the blue-green spectral range are studied. A plasma is generated by an atmospheric-pressure barrier discharge initiated in a quaternary mixture including mercury dibromide, sulfur hexafluoride, nitrogen, and helium. It is shown that the exciplex lamp can radiate at an elevated repetition rate of pump pulses (1–12 kHz) under the conditions of mixture self-heating. A tradeoff between the radiation power and nitrogen partial pressure is found. The mean specific radiation power in the blue-green range at a level of 480 mW/cm³ is achieved at partial vapor pressures of mercury dibromide, sulfur hexafluoride, nitrogen, and helium of 0.70, 0.07, 4.00, and 117.20 kPa, respectively. The plasma parameters, namely, the electron energy distribution function; concentration, temperature, and mean energy of electrons; transport properties; and rate constants of elastic and inelastic electron scattering by the working mixture components are determined as functions of ratio E/N (where E is the electric field strength and N is the total concentration of mercury dibromide, sulfur hexafluoride, and nitrogen molecules and helium atoms). It is found that mercury monobromide molecules and also excited and higher energy states take part in the population of exciplex molecules HgBr* (B²Σ₁^2/+ states) in the course of quenching these exciplexes by sulfur hexafluoride and nitrogen molecules.     

Effect of the amplitude and rise time of a voltage pulse on the formation of an ultrashort avalanche electron beam in a gas diode

The effect of the amplitude and rise time of a voltage pulse from a RADAN-303 pulser on the formation of an ultrashort avalanche electron beam (UAEB) in a gas diode is experimentally investigated. It is shown that, when the open-circuit voltage of the pulser exceeds an optimum value, the beam current amplitude and the gap voltage under which the UAEB is generated decrease.     

Possible application of a volume avalanche discharge initiated by an electron beam for designing a krypton dimer laser

The emissive and amplifying properties of volume nanosecond discharge plasma formed at high pressures in krypton have been investigated theoretically and experimentally. It is theoretically shown that lasing can be obtained in this type of discharge at krypton pressures exceeding 6–7 atm. In the discharge gap with a cathode of small curvature radius, volume discharge without preliminary ionization is obtained at a high pressure and intense krypton dimer emission that peaks at a wavelength of 146 nm is detected. It is shown that, upon excitation by a volume avalanche discharge initiated by an electron beam, no less than 90% of the energy in the range 120–540 nm is emitted by krypton dimers. At a krypton pressure of 1.5 atm, an energy of ～30 mJ of spontaneous emission into the total solid angle and a radiation pulse width at half maximum of ～240 ns are obtained.     

Generation of dual pulses of the runaway electron beam current during the subnanosecond breakdown of atomic and molecular gases

With a diaphragm placed behind the anode foil, dual runaway electron beams have been provided in helium, hydrogen, nitrogen, and air under a pressure of several torrs to several dozen torrs and a high-voltage pulse amplitude of about 250 kV. These beams consist of two pulses with commensurable amplitudes with a time interval between them of several dozen picoseconds to several hundred picoseconds. It has been shown that the breakdown of the interelectrode gap at pressures from several torrs to several dozen torrs may occur in different regimes and dual pulses of the electron beam current are registered when the initial current through the gap is below 1 kA. It has been found that a supershort avalanche electron beam that consists of one pulse is generated when the delay of breakdown equals several hundred picoseconds. It has been shown that, when the gas pressure reaches several hundred Torr, including atmospheric pressure, the runaway electrons are detected behind the foil after the termination of the supershort avalanche electron beam pulse.     

Transients and efficient generation of electron beams in the pulsed wide-aperture glow discharge

The quasi-continuous wide-aperture glow discharge in helium at pressures from 1.2 to 6.0 Torr is studied. It is found that electron beam generation efficiency η is higher than 96% in the pressure range 1.2–3.0 Torr at voltages from 1.0 to 2.6 kV. The maximum power was ≈ 0 kW at 6 Torr and a voltage across the discharge gap of 2.6 kV. Under these conditions, the beam generation efficiency is about 80%. The pressure and voltage dependences of main parameters of the discharge are explained from the standpoint of its photoemission nature.     

Rapid formation of an electron beam in a magnetron gun with a secondary-emission metallic cathode

The initial stage of forming the electron sheath and electron beam generation in magnetron guns for the case when the secondary emission process is triggered by nanosecond pulses is considered. In the guns with small transverse sizes, tubular electron beams with an outer diameter of 4–6 mm and a current of 1–2 A are produced at a cathode voltage of 5–10 kV. It is shown that the formation of the electron cloud and beam current pulse front for a time of ≥2 ns is a possibility.     

Generation of nanosecond pulses in a barrier-discharge XeBr excimer lamp

The subject of investigation is the coaxial two-barrier short-pulse excimer lamp based on XeBr* molecules (λ = 282 nm). When the working mixture (Xe: Br₂ = 70: 1) is excited by a high-voltage pulsed nanosecond discharge at a pressure of 1 atm, the peak power of the generated radiation is on the order of 100 kW at an FWHM of 4.5 ns. If the gap between the barriers is small, a train of pulses with an FWHM of 20 ns and a repetition rate of 200 kHz may be obtained.     

Breakdown of gas gaps in a nonuniform electric field at a subnanosecond voltage pulse rise time

The influence of the nitrogen pressure on the breakdown voltage in a nonuniform electric field is studied. Voltage pulses with nanosecond and subnanosecond rise times are applied to the gas gap. Simultaneously with the application of voltage pulses, supershort avalanche electron beam pulses are observed behind a foil anode. It is found that, when a runaway electron beam is generated and voltage pulses have a subnano-second rise time, the breakdown voltage rises as the nitrogen pressure decreases from 9 × 10⁴ to 1 × 10² Pa. Experimental data are in good agreement with pulsed breakdown analytical curves.     

Electrical and optical characteristics of a multichannel N2-laser

The influence of electrical parameters on the optical properties of atmospheric pressure transversely excited N₂-lasers of the Blumlein-type is investigated. Experiments are performed using a multichannel laser system providing high repetition rate trains of nanosecond pulses (50 to 100 MHz). Both the high voltage rise and decay times of the order of several kV/ns are determined electro-optically and correlated with the intensity and time lag of the optical pulses. Using an injection technique the intensity and beam divergence could be markedly improved.     

Optical characteristics of the plasma of a nanosecond atmospheric-pressure volume discharge in a nonuniform electric field

Optical characteristics of the plasma of nanosecond volume discharges in air, nitrogen, krypton, argon, neon, and Ar/N₂ and Ar/Xe mixtures at elevated pressures are investigated. The discharges are excited in a gap with a cathode of small curvature radius. The waveforms and spectra of plasma emission from discharges in different gases in the 230-to 600-nm spectral range are measured. Optical generation in an Ar/Xe mixture is achieved at an active length of 1.5 cm. A comparison is performed of the spectral characteristics of the emission from nitrogen, krypton, argon, and neon excited by a volume discharge in a nonuniform electric field, by a nanosecond electron beam, and by a pulsed volume discharge in a uniform electric field at a high initial voltage.     

Emission characteristics of plasma of a transverse volume discharge in mixtures of helium, argon, and krypton with sulfur hexafluoride

The emission characteristics of the plasma of repetitively pulsed spontaneous UV-VUV radiation sources on the basis of ArF* (193 nm) and KrF* (249 nm) molecules, and the products of decomposition of sulfur hexafluoride molecules pumped by a transverse volume discharge in a mixture of inert gases with sulfur hexafluoride molecules have been investigated. The discharge emission spectra in the range of 190–780 nm at the low-current and high-current stages of the transverse discharge, the time characteristics of the voltage across the electrodes, the pump current, and the emission of excimer molecules and the products of decomposition of sulfur hexafluoride have been studied. It is shown that, in the gas-static operation mode of the radiator at the number of discharge pulses smaller than 10³, the 193-nm ArF* and 249-nm KrF* bands are main in the emission spectrum. Upon further operation of the radiator, a spectral continuum is formed on the basis of sulfur molecular bands in the range 260–550 nm.     

Radiation emission coefficients for sulfur hexafluoride arc plasmas

Calculations are made of the total spectral absorptivities of plasmas of sulfur hexafluoride for wavelengths of 100 to 15,500 Å. Both line and continuum radiation are considered. For the contributions from line radiation, we have calculated the strengths, widths and shifts of both neutral, singly and doubly ionized atoms of S and F, except that we used experimental line strengths where they are available. The theory used was that of Griem, which assumes LS coupling. Curves are given for the emission coefficient of radiation appropriate to the arc center for isothermal cylindrical plasmas of various radii for pressures of 1 and 10 atm and temperatures from 5000 to 35,000°K. It is found that at 1 atm line radiation can be an order of magnitude higher than continuum radiation and radiation >2000 Å is less than 10% of the total radiation for temperatures greater than 15,000°K. Predictions are given of volt-ampere characteristics and central temperatures for arcs of various radii in SF₆ at pressures at 1 and 10 atm.