Generation of X-ray radiation with a high pulse repetition rate by means of a volume discharge in an open gas diode

The subject of study is ultrashort avalanche-produced electron pulses generated in air under atmospheric pressure. The current amplitude of the pulses behind 45-μm-thick AlBe foil exceeds 100 A, and their FWHM is ≈0.2 ns. The conditions of generation of ultrashort pulses persist at repetition rates as high as 1.5 kHz. A volume discharge initiated in an open coaxial-electrode gas diode by high-voltage nanosecond pulses generates hard (> 60 keV) radiation.