Collective ion acceleration in a linear electron beam

Journal Article · Sat Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1978 · Sov. J. Plasma Phys. (Engl. Transl.); (United States)

OSTI ID:6475775

Khodataev, K V; Tsytovich, V N

Various mechanisms are analyzed for ion acceleration: acceleration in an electron beam at an ionization front (V. I. Veksler, CERN Symposium, Vol. 1, 1956, p. 80), autoresonant acceleration (S. E. Graybill, J. R. Uglum, et al., J. Appl. Phys. 41, 236 (1970); Bull. Amer. Phys. Soc. 14, 1047 (1969)), and acceleration by a focusing instability. Upper limits are found for the mechanism of acceleration at an ionization front. These limits are due to 1) balance between the energy supplied to the system and that expended in creating the magnetic field and blowing off the secondary electrons and 2) the finite acceleration time due to the short duration of the electron-beam pulse. The ion energy in an ionization-front accelerator can be raised only by reducing the current and increasing the pulse length, but these measures would make this accelerator extremely inefficient. A general analysis is given for autoresonant and focusing acceleration. In the limits of strong and weak fields, the analysis yields results found elsewhere for autoresonant and focusing acceleration, respectively. Autoresonant acceleration requires extremely strong magnetic fields and a high ion-injection energy (above 10 MeV). For the focusing instability there are conditions, similar to the autoresonant conditions, in which a negative-energy mode develops at a frequency near the radial oscillation frequency of the electron beam. This case also requires a high ion-injection energy. Conditions for the focusing instability with a moderate magnetic field are found which do not require high ion-injection energies. Under these conditions, strongly nonlinear auto acceleration density waves of the electron beam can grow. The tolerances in the cases of autoresonant and focusing acceleration are analyzed. The general outlook for collective ion acceleration in a straight electron beam is discussed.

• Research Organization: P. N. Lebedev Physics Institute, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Moscow
• OSTI ID: 6475775
• Journal Information: Sov. J. Plasma Phys. (Engl. Transl.); (United States), Journal Name: Sov. J. Plasma Phys. (Engl. Transl.); (United States) Vol. 4:4; ISSN SJPPD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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