Beam rotation and shear in a large electron beam diode

The time-averaged electron-beam current distribution of one of the electron guns of the large Aperture Module (LAM) of the Aurora laser was measured as part of a larger set of experiments designed to study the electron beam transport to and energy deposition in the LAM laser chamber. The radiograms made on the center line of the LAM laser chamber while the laser chamber was at vacuum pressure demonstrated several of the expected results. The beam was relatively uniform over the aperture, with the exception of shadows cast by the diode anode wires, the Hibachi ribs, and the Hibachi support structure. At a depth of 50 cm into the laser chamber, the self-magnetic field of the beam produced a shear in the top and bottom edges of 15 cm. At the same depth the applied magnetic field caused a rotation of the entire beam profile of about 3°