Population Inversions in Ablation Plasmas Generated by Intense Electron Beams

摘要

Experiments during the past three years have concerned the generation and spectroscopic study of electron beam-driven carbon plasmas in order to explore the production of optical and ultraviolet radiation from nonequilibrium populations. The output of MELBA (Michigan Electron Long Beam Accelerator), has been connected to an electron beam diode consisting of an aluminum (or brass) cathode stalk and a carbon anode. Magnetic field coils have been designed, procured, and utilized to focus the electron beam. A side viewing port permitted spectroscopic diagnostics to view across the surface of the anode. Spectroscopic diagnosis has been performed using a 1 m spectrograph capable of operation from the vacuum ultraviolet through the visible. This spectrograph is coupled to a 1024 channel optical multichannel analyzer. Spectra taken during the initial 400 ns period of the e-beam pulse showed a low effective charge plasma with primarily molecular components (C2, CH) as well as atomic hydrogen and singly ionized carbon (CII). When the generator pulse was crowbarred after the first 400 ns, the spectra revealed a continuation of the low charge state plasma. At times greater than 400 ns in non-crowbarred shots, the spectra revealed a highly ionized plasma with a very large intensity line at 2530 Angstroms due to CIV (5g-4f), and lower intensity lines due to CIII and CII. This CIV line emission increased with time, peaking sharply between 750 ns and 900 ns, and decayed rapidly in less than 100 ns. Emission from these high ionization states may be due to electron beam-plasma instabilities, as this emission was accompanied by high levels of radio frequency and microwave emission. (jhd)