BETATRON ACCELERATION OF ELECTRONS IN A PLASMA

Technical Report · Tue Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1958

OSTI ID:4297606

Reynolds, P; Skarsgard, H M

Betatron acceleration was applied to a plasma by means of an air-cored winding. The plasma was formed initially within a toroidal ring chsnnber by an r.f. break down in gas at pressures from 5 x 10/sup -5/to 2 x 10/sup -3/ mm of Hg. Various gases were used. A steady azimuthal magnetic field of up to 1400 gauss was applied during plasma formation and betatron acceleration. Accelerating electric fields of up to 22 volts/cm were employed. X-rays were observed with energies up to 2 Mev, the field energy of the machine. The intensity of x-rays indicates that electrons representing up to 20 amps of circulating current were accelerated within the plasma to energies of about 100 kev. These runaway electrons are associated with much larger conduction currents and are lost at relatively low energies. For lower initial plasma densities, single high energy x-ray pulses can be produced corresponding to runaway electrons with the full energy of the machine. The circulating current represented by these 2 Mev electrons is about 1 amp. (auth)

• Research Organization: European Organization for Nuclear Research, Geneva
• NSA Number: NSA-13-000299
• OSTI ID: 4297606
• Report Number(s): CERN-58-19
• Country of Publication: Switzerland
• Language: English

Related Subjects

AIR
BETATRONS
CURRENTS
ELECTRONS
GASES
MAGNETIC FIELDS
PHYSICS AND MATHEMATICS
PLASMA
PRESSURE
PULSES
X RADIATION