Specifics of the focused electron beam transport in the forevacuum range of pressure

摘要

We have investigated electron beam transport at an elevated forevacuum pressure of tens of Pascals of helium. The continuous electron beam (6-14 keV, 300 mA) is generated by a forevacuum-pressure plasma-cathode electron source utilizing a hollow-cathode discharge. A beam-plasma discharge is generated in the beam transport zone, which is characterized by increased plasma density in the region of the most intense beam-plasma interaction. We find that the location and distribution of the beam-plasma discharge depend on the electron beam energy and current density. Under certain conditions, we observe that the beam plasma is stratified, with a periodic variation of plasma density and luminosity along the direction of electron beam propagation. Published by AIP Publishing.