Study of the influence of the injection section on the stability of a high-current relativistic electron beam propagating through the gaseous medium of a plasmochemical reactor

Results are presented from experimental study of the influence of the injection section on the stability of a high-current relativistic electron beam (REB) propagating through the gaseous medium of a plasmochemical reactor (PR). An REB with the electron energy E _e =1 MeV, beam current I _b =10–22 kA, and pulse duration t=60 ns was generated by the Tonus accelerator and, then, injected into a 0.1-m-diameter PR filled with air. The PR consisted of two sections with lengths L ₁= 0.3–1.0 m and L ₂=1.1–2.5 m; the total length of the system was no longer than 3.5 m. The first section was filled with air at a pressure of P ₁=0.8–1.5 torr, and the pressure in the second section was varied within the range P ₂=0.1–760 torr. The current I _b of an REB passed through both sections of the PR was measured with the help of a sectioned vacuum Faraday cup. The transportation efficiency of the beam was determined as the ratio I _b /I _inj, where I _inj is the beam current measured at the point of injection into the PR. It is shown that, for the optimal dimensions of the first PR section, it has a stabilizing action on the REB with a current density of up to 3 kA/cm², which makes it possible to increase the effective length of the second (working) PR section, which is filled with a gas at various pressures, to L ₂=(25–35)L _bet, where L _bet is the beam betatron length.