This article is cited in 14 papers

The temporal structure of a runaway electron beam generated in air at atmospheric pressure

D. V. Rybka, V. F. Tarasenko, A. G. Burachenko, E. V. Balzovskii

Institute of High Current Electronics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk

Abstract: Supershort avalanche electron beams (SAEBs) generated in air at atmospheric pressure have been studied with picosecond time resolution. It is established that an SAEB has a complicated structure that depends on the interelectrode gap width and cathode design. In a gas-filled diode with a small gap width, an SAEB current pulse with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of $\sim$25 ps has been observed behind a collimator with a hole diameter of 1 mm. As the gap width is increased or decreased relative to the optimum value that corresponds to the maximum beam current, the SAEB current pulse shape changes and pulses with two peaks are more likely detected. The two-peak SAEB current pulse shape is retained behind aluminum foil with a thickness of 60 and 110 $\mu$m.

Received: 30.12.2011

 English version: Technical Physics Letters, 2012, 38:7, 657–660

Bibliographic databases:

•