Collective processes in a microsecond relativistic electron beam: Basic rules and mechanisms

Collective processes taking place in the space charge of a microsecond relativistic electron beam with magnetic insulation are considered. The space-time characteristics of the low-frequency and high-frequency oscillations are found, and the effect of the magnetic compression of the beam near the cathode on these oscillations is studied. It is shown that the basic source of the low-frequency oscillations is the collective motion of the space charge, which takes place in crossed electric and magnetic fields near the cathode, while the primary reason for the high-frequency oscillations is two-stream instability in the beam. The possibility of suppressing both types of oscillations by compressing relativistic electron beams near the cathode is demonstrated. The effect of nonuniform magnetic fields, including their effect on the cathode plasma motion, is elucidated.     

Dissipation of strong Langmuir turbulence in nonisothermal non-Maxwellian plasma

The regime of strong Langmuir turbulence characterized by the plasma nonisothermality and by the presence of an appreciable non-Maxwellian hot-electron component was experimentally studied. Turbulence was excited in the preliminary produced plasma by the relativistic electron beam. Thomson scattering of laser IR radiation served as the main diagnostic method. The spatial spectra of the Langmuir turbulence and of the attendant ion-sound turbulence were studied using Thomson collective scattering. Thomson incoherent scattering was used for studying the plasma electron distribution function and searching for the local dips of plasma density. Stark spectroscopy of turbulent microfields and the method of observation of plasma radiation at the double plasma frequency were also used. Based on the experimental data, the mechanism of Langmuir oscillation damping by plasma electrons was analyzed. The Langmuir wave conversion induced by the ion-sound turbulence is the most probable channel for energy transfer from the turbulence to plasma electrons, the low-frequency fluctuations being the direct consequence of the strong Langmuir turbulence.     

The Electrostatic Trapping of an Intense Relativistic Electron Beam in a Magnetic Mirror

Observations of rapid axial oscillations of an intense relativistic electron beam in a magnetic mirror are reported. The mirror field primarily provides radial confinement of the relativistic electrons. The axial confinement was achieved by placing thin aluminized mylar foils at the conjugate mirror field maxima. The region between these foils was filled with a few Torr air to provide a beam induced plasma for charge and current neutralization. The regions outside these foils were maintained at ~10-4 Torr. One foil formed the anode of a space-charge limited relativistic electron diode which launched the beam into the mirror. When the beam passed through the second foil it was no longer charge neutralized. In a manner quite similar to the anode foil oscillations observed by others, a space-charge limited electrostatic well was established which stopped the electrons and re-accelerated them through the foil-thereby reflecting the beam. When the reflected electrons re-entered the diode, they were once again "electrostatically" reflected. This process continued until the oscillating beam was either lost through the "virtual cathodes" outside the foils, dissipated in the drift region or quenched in the diode plasma after gap closure.     

Influence of the beam-forming conditions on the development of space-charge oscillations in a long-pulse relativistic electron beam

The characteristics of the space-charge oscillations of a long-pulse relativistic electron beam in magnetically insulated diodes are determined for different geometries of the electron acceleration section and for explosive-emission cathodes of different materials. The important role of the stream of electrons having high transverse velocities in the evolution of the oscillations is demonstrated, and the laws governing the generation of this stream are determined. Possible mechanisms of the space-charge oscillations are described, taking into account the interaction of the electron stream in the beam halo with the main electron stream, the development of diocotron instability in the stream of electrons emitted by the outer lateral surface of the plasma emitter, and the instability of the space charge of “long-lived” electrons in the beam transport channel. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 68, 102–106 (April 1998)     

Beam-plasma discharge in the propagation of a long-pulse relativistic electron beam in a medium-pressure rarefied gas

A theoretical model is given, along with a numerical analysis of the evolution of beam-plasma discharge in the propagation of a long-pulse relativistic electron beam in a rarefied gas at medium pressure. It is shown that the self-stabilization of beam-plasma discharge as a result of longitudinal inhomogeneity of the density of the discharge plasma makes it possible for the beam to traverse the beam chamber with relatively low total energy losses, including ionization losses and energy losses in the generation of oscillations. During the dissociative recombination of electrons and ions of the discharge-driven plasma, heat is released and spent in raising the temperature of the gas. The investigated collective-discharge mechanism underlying heating of the gas for a relativistic beam can be more efficient than the classical heating mechanism due to ionization losses of the beam in pair collisions of its electrons with gas particles. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 67, 94–98 (May 1997)     

Observation of a hot high-current electron beam from a self-modulated laser wakefield accelerator

A highly relativistic electron beam produced by a 50 TW laser-plasma accelerator has been characterized by photonuclear techniques. The beam has large divergence that increases with plasma density. The electron yield also increases with plasma density and reaches up to 4x10(11) electrons ( >10 MeV), with beam current approaching the Alfvén limit. Effective electron temperatures exceeding 8 MeV are found, leading to an order of magnitude higher photonuclear activation yield than in solid target experiments with the same laser system.     

Influence of nonuniformities of a magnetic-mirror field on the space-time characteristics of a long-pulse relativistic electron beam

An experimental investigation is made of the influence of local nonuniformities of a mirror-configuration magnetic field on oscillations of the space charge and the structure of a long-pulse relativistic electron beam. It is found that the outcome depends on the axial configuration of the nonuniformity. A nonuniformity near the cathode can substantially reduce the amplitude of the oscillations and improve the beam transport. The creation of a nonuniformity far from the cathode leads to an accelerated increase in the oscillations and causes spreading of the transverse structure of the beam. A possible explanation is given for the mechanism responsible for the influence of these local magnetic field nonuniformities assuming reflection of the cathode plasma and electron flux from the magnetic mirror, and also allowing for a jump in the drift velocity. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 67, 83–88 (August 1997)     

Nonlinear stage of development of resistive hose instability of a high-current relativistic electron beam in a plasma

The nonlinear stage in the development of a resistive hose instability of a highcurrent relativistic electron beam in a finite-conductivity plasma has been studied in the rigid-beam model. The attenuation of the force of the interaction of the beam with the magnetic field of the total current for large beam displacements is shown to result in the stabilization of the instability. The stabilization time and the amplitudes of the oscillations in the saturation regime are determined as functions of the parameters of the beam in the plasma.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fiz., No. 10, pp. 78–81, October, 1987.     

Ponderomotive transport of a variable-charge granule in a dusty plasma in the field of an intense ion-sound wave

The ponderomotive force acting on a variable-charge granule in a dusty plasma from an intense ion-sound wave is considered. Allowance for oscillations of the granule charge in the field of an ion-sound wave makes it possible to reveal new components of this force that are proportional to the wave vector of the field and the cube of its amplitude. These components do not vanish in the case of a uniform field and also lead to a directed transport of the dust plasma fraction.     

Electromagnetic Plasma Modes at ?pe

The problem of the electromagnetic plasma radiation near the electron plasma frequency ?pe is studied in the absence of an external magnetic field. Maxwell's equations together with the fluid equations, which include thermal effects, are solved for an infinite geometry as well as for a finite geometry, and the problem of the eigenmodes at a plasma frequency ? ?pe is studied. The excitation of these modes by a small density relativistic beam is discussed. It is shown that the presence of a small density beam with finite ?o/c (where ?o is the beam velocity and c the velocity of light in a vacuum) in a plasma of finite thermal velocity, can couple linearly the plasma oscillations excited by the beam with the electromagnetic plasma mode at ?pe. It is also shown that surface waves at a frequency ? ?pe can be excited by the beam.     

On the amplification mechanism of the ion-channel laser

The amplification mechanism of the ion-channel laser (ICL) in the low-gain regime is studied. In this concept, a relativistic electron beam is injected into a plasma whose density is comparable to or lower than the beam's density. The head of the electron beam pushes out the plasma electrons, leaving an ion channel. The ion-focusing force causes the electrons to oscillate (betatron oscillations) about the axis and plays a role similar to the magnetic field in a cyclotron autoresonance maser (CARM). Radiation can be produced with wave frequencies from microwaves to X-rays depending on the beam energy and plasma density: ω~2γ^3/2ω_pe, where γ is the Lorentz factor of the beam and ω_pe is the plasma frequency. Transverse (relativistic) bunching and axial (conventional) bunching are the amplification mechanisms in ICLs; only the latter effect operates in free-electron lasers. The competition of these two bunching mechanisms depends on beam velocity ν_0z; their dependences on ν_0z cancel for the cyclotron autoresonance masers. A linear theory is developed to study the physical mechanisms, and a PIC (particle-in-cell) simulation code is used to verify the theory. The mechanism is examined as a possible explanation for experimentally observed millimeter radiation from relativistic electron beams interacting with plasmas     

Rotating relativistic electron beam-plasma interaction and formation of a field-reversed configuration

Experimental results on interaction of a rotating relativistic electron beam with plasma and neutral gas are presented. The rotating relativistic electron beam has been propagated up to a distance of 150 cm in a plasma. The response of the plasma to the rotating electron beam is found to be of magnetic diffusion type over a plasma density range 10¹¹–10¹³ cm⁻³. Excitation of the axial and azimuthal return currents by the rotating beam and subsequent trapping of the azimuthal return current layer by the magnetic mirror field are observed. A field-reversed configuration has been formed by the rotating relativistic electron beam when injected into neutral hydrogen gas. We have observed field reversal up to three times the initial field in an axial length of 100 cm.     

Nonlinear Plasma Dynanics in the Plasma Wakefield Accelerator

Excitation of nonlinear plasma oscillations by an ultrarelativistic electron beam is considered in this paper. It is shown, by analytical solutions of the fully relativistic nonlinear fluid equations in one dimension, that under certain conditions on the relative densities of the electron beam and the plasma, extremely large longitudinal electric fields can be generated in the wake of the beam. This scheme can be considered as a nonlinear regime of the plasma wakefield accelerator (PWFA), and is seen to have the advantage that the transformer ratio, the ratio of the maximum amplitude of the accelerating field behind the driving beam over the maximum amplitude of the decelerating field inside of the beam, can be made arbitrarily large, dependent only on the length of the driving beam. The effects of beam loading on the efficiency of this scheme are considered, and are shown to be equivalent to those predicted in the linear regime.     

Modulational Instability of Ion-Acoustic Waves in a Warm Plasma with a Relativistic Electron Beam

The modulational instability of ion-acoustic wave in a collisionless, unmagnetized plasma consisting ofwarm ions, hot isothermal electrons, and relativistic electron beam is studied. A modified nonlinear Schrodinger equationincluding one additional term that comes from the effect of relativistic electron beam is derived. It is found that theinclusion of a relativistic electron beam would modify the modulational instability of the wave packet and could notadmit any stationary soliton waves.     

Effects of relativistic and ponderomotive nonlinearities on the interaction of high-power laser beam with an inhomogeneous warm plasma

The influence of relativistic-ponderomotive nonlinearities and the plasma inhomogeneity on the nonlinear interaction between a high-power laser beam and a warm underdense plasma are studied. It is clear that the relativistic ponderomotive force and the electron temperature modify the electron density distribution and consequently change the dielectric permittivity of the plasma. Therefore, by presenting the modified electron density and the nonlinear dielectric permittivity of the warm plasma, the electromagnetic wave equation for the propagation of intense laser beam through the plasma is derived. This nonlinear equation is numerically solved and the distributions of electromagnetic fields in the plasma, the variations of electron density, and plasma refractive index are investigated for two different background electron density profiles. The results show that the amplitude of the electric field and electron density oscillations gradually increase and decrease, during propagation in the inhomogeneous warm plasma with linear and exponential density profiles, respectively, and the distribution of electron density becomes extremely sharp in the presence of intense laser beam. It is also indicated that the electron temperature and initial electron density have an impact on the propagation of the laser beam in the plasma and change the plasma refractive index and the oscillations' amplitude and frequency. The obtained results indicate the importance of a proper choice of laser and plasma parameters on the electromagnetic field distributions, density steepening, and plasma refractive index variations in the interaction of an intense laser beam with an inhomogeneous warm plasma.     

Excitation of low-frequency oscillations via interaction of a high-current relativistic electron beam with a radial ion flux

The nonlinear excitation of low-frequency oscillations in the case when an ion flux is radially injected into the drift chamber where a tubular relativistic electron beam propagates is studied. A mechanism behind low-frequency ion oscillations is discussed.     

Dielectric response of a relativistic degenerate electron plasma in a strong magnetic field

The longitudinal dielectric response of a relativistic ultra-degenerate electron plasma in a strong magnetic field is obtained via a relativistic generalization of the Hartree self-consistent field method. Dispersion relations and damping conditions for plasma oscillations both parallel and perpendicular to the magnetic field are obtained. We also give detailed results for the zero-field case. Applications to white dwarf stars and pulsars are given.     

A New Scheme for High‐Intensity Laser‐Driven Electron Acceleration in a Plasma

We propose a new approach to high‐intensity relativistic laser‐driven electron acceleration in a plasma. Here, we demonstrate that a plasma wave generated by a stimulated forward‐scattering of an incident laser pulse can be in the longest acceleration phase with injected relativistic beam electrons. This is why the plasma wave has the maximum amplification coefficient which is determined by the acceleration time and the breakdown (overturn) electric field in which the acceleration of the injected beam electrons occurs. We must note that for the longest acceleration phase the relativity of the injected beam electrons plays a crucial role in our scheme. We estimate qualitatively the acceleration parameters of relativistic electrons in the field of a plasma wave generated at the stimulated forward‐scattering of a high‐intensity laser pulse in a plasma. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Collective properties of a relativistic electron beam injected into a high intensity optical lattice

Behaviour of a relativistic electron bunch, injected and trapped in a high intensity optical lattice resulting from the interference of two laser beams is studied. The optical lattice modifies the phase space distribution of the electron bunch due to the trapping and compression of the electrons by a ponderomotive force. High-frequency longitudinal beam eigenmodes of the trapped electron bunch are described in the framework of fluid and kinetic models. Such beam oscillations are expected to play a pivotal role in a stimulated Raman scattering of laser beams on the electrons.     

Transverse oscillations of a long-pulse electron beam on alaser-formed channel

An intense relativistic electron beam may be transported in low-pressure gas using an ion channel which focuses and guides the beam. The beam can be unstable to the growth of transverse oscillations caused by the electric force between the beam and channel-the ion hose instability. Beam propagation on channels created by photoionization of gas with an excimer laser is discussed. Ion hose oscillations have been recorded which have a betatron wavelength of approximately 1.5 m. The growth rate of the ion hose instability in the linear regime was measured as 1.67±0.45. At this level of growth, the amplitude of beam oscillations equals the channel radius after a period of one-third of an ion oscillation time