The paper describes a method for a controlled change in the power of an electron beam during a pulse of submillisecond duration, using a source "SOLO" with a plasma cathode. The beam power is controlled by changing the amplitude of the beam current with a corresponding change in the concentration of the emission plasma. This control method allows generating submillisecond beams of variable power (up to 10 MW at a maximum rate of change of no more than 0.5 MW/µs), which can be used for processing various metallic materials in order to change the functional properties of their surface with the ability to control the rate of input of beam energy into the surface of these materials.

Using the example of an electron source with a plasma cathode based on a low-pressure arc discharge with grid stabilization of the cathode/emission plasma boundary and an open anode/beam plasma boundary, a mechanism is described for increasing the electrical strength of a high-voltage accelerating gap by introducing a series negative current feedback (NCF) in the accelerating interval, which makes it possible to level out uncontrolled bursts of the beam current during its pulse. The introduction of NCF is achieved by using a special electrode in the space of the plasma emitter connected through a resistance to the anode of the arc discharge, and the main task of which is to intercept accelerated ions penetrating into the emitter from the high-voltage accelerating gap, due to which the current of electron emission from the arc discharge plasma decreases by a value proportional to the ion current in the accelerating gap. Since most sources and accelerators of electrons with plasma cathodes based on discharges of various types have a similar principle of operation, the use of this method will not only expand the limiting parameters of the generated electron beams, but also increase the stability of the operation of such electron sources, and, accordingly, beam irradiation of various materials and products.