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Title: Model of current enhancement at high pressure

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5471131· OSTI ID:5471131

A model is proposed to account for the phenomenon of net current enhancement at high pressures recently observed on the Experimental Test Accelerator. The proposed mechanism involves energetic secondary electrons (delta rays) which are pushed forward by the self-magnetic field of the electron beam. For high current beams, the forward delta ray current can build up to a significant fraction of the beam current. Analytic calculations of the steady-state solution as well as the rate of buildup of the delta ray current are presented in this paper. In addition, numerical results from a nonlocal Boltzmann code, NUTS, are presented. The analytic and numerical results have many features which are in qualitative agreement with the experiments, but quantitative discrepancies still exist.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-48
OSTI ID:
5471131
Report Number(s):
UCID-19965; ON: DE84005059
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English