Experimental Analysis of Pseudospark Sourced Electron Beam

Abstract

The pseudospark (PS) discharge has been shown to be a promising source of high brightness, high intensity electron beam pulses. The PS discharge sourced electron beam has potential applications in plasma filled microwave sources where normal material cathode cannot be used. Analysis of the electron beam profile has been done experimentally for different applied voltages. The investigation has been carried out at different axial and radial location inside the drift space in argon atmosphere. This paper represents experimentally found axial and radial variation of the beam current inside the drift tube of PS discharge based plasma cathode electron (PCE) gun. With the help of current density estimation the focusing and defocusing point of electron beam in axial direction can be analyzed.

Characterization of an Electron Gun Based on a Pseudospark for Application in Hypersonic Shock Tunnels

“…The electron beam duration is about 76 ns to -15 kV and 80 ns to -20 kV. These values are consistent with literature 11,12 . …”

Research of the Oscillation Start-Up Time in an Extended Interaction Oscillator Driven by a Pseudospark-Sourced Sheet Electron Beam

“…The PS discharge is a type of gas discharge, which is characterized by axial symmetry, short duration and relatively low air pressure. The PS discharge can generate a fairly high current density (up to 10 8 A/m 2 ), rapid current rising speed (up to 10 12 A/s) and nanosecond-level electron beam pulse [20][21][22]. When the PS discharge process begins, the original high-energy electrons are emitted from the anode to the interaction circuit.…”

Study of a 0.35 THz Extended Interaction Oscillator Driven by a Pseudospark-Sourced Sheet Electron Beam

“…It was first experimentally studied by Christiansen and Schultheiss in the late 1970's [22]. A self-sustained electron beam pulse can be produced with high-brightness, low emittance (~15 mm • mrad), small beam diameter (<4 mm), and fast current rise (up to 10 12 A/s), as well as high beam current density (~10 8 A/m 2 ) [23][24][25][26][27][28], which is catered to the requirement for high power sources of millimeter-wave and THz radiation, such as BWOs, EIOs, free-electron lasers (FELs). In the experiment, a PS electron beam current of 118 A was measured after propagating through a 60 mm long collimator of diameter 3.5 mm in diameter [29].…”