L. P. Babich, K. I. Bakhov, V. A. Balakin, E. N. Donskoi, N. I. Zavada, К. F. Zelenskii, R. I. Ilkaev, I. M. Kutsyk, T. V. Loiko, Yu. M. Nedoikash, N. G. Pavlovskaya, R. A. Roussel-Dupre, E. M. Symbalisty, B. N. Shamraev, “An experimental investigation of an avalanche of relativistic runaway electrons under normal conditions”, TVT, 2004, Volume 42, Issue 1,Pages <nobr>5

This article is cited in 13 papers

Plasma Investigations

An experimental investigation of an avalanche of relativistic runaway electrons under normal conditions

L. P. Babich^a, K. I. Bakhov^a, V. A. Balakin^a, E. N. Donskoi^a, N. I. Zavada^a, К. F. Zelenskii^a, R. I. Ilkaev^a, I. M. Kutsyk^a, T. V. Loiko^a, Yu. M. Nedoikash^a, N. G. Pavlovskaya^a, R. A. Roussel-Dupre^b, E. M. Symbalisty^b, B. N. Shamraev^a

^a Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Russian Federal Nuclear Center — All-Russian Research Institute of Experimental Physics", Sarov, Nizhny Novgorod region
^b Los Alamos National Laboratory

Abstract: The development of avalanches of relativistic runaway electrons is investigated in an experiment similar to the classical Townsend experiment, but in the relativistic energy region. A large-scale laboratory setup is developed with an operating voltage of up to $1.2$ MV, which is a chamber with flat electrodes separated by a segmented insulator. A sensitive collector method of analyzing the spectra of high-energy electrons is developed, which is used in electron detectors with a large collecting surface. The multiplication of relativistic electrons in the air is investigated at voltages of up to $1.0$ MV. The initial stage of a relativistic electron avalanche is realized for the first time. The results of measurements agree with the results of Monte Carlo simulation.

UDC: 537.52

Received: 26.11.2002