LARGE DIAMETER ION BEAM APPARATUS WITH AN APERTURED PLATE ELECTRODE TO MAINTAIN UNIFORM FLUX DENSITY ACROSS THE BEAM

摘要

The apparatus generates a high energy beam of large size, on the order of 12 centimeters or more in diameter, the beam being passed through a mass separator which extracts unwanted charged particles, leaving a pure single specie beam. The resultant beam is space charge neutralized to prevent coulombic spreading and maintains a substantially constant flux density over the full beam cross section. Using appropriate gaseous material for ionization, the apparatus provides a particularly effective simulation of solar plasma wind, as one example of its utility.