Numerical simulation of collective ion acceleration in an intense electron beam--localized gas cloud system

Journal Article · Thu Feb 15 04:00:00 EST 1990 · Journal of Applied Physics; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.345632· OSTI ID:7168669

Yao, R L; Striffler, C D ^[1]

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1. Laboratory for Plasma Research Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742 (US)

In experiments in which an intense relativistic electron beam is injected into an evacuated drift tube with a localized gas cloud located near the anode, ions with energies several times the electron beam energy have been observed. These experiments have been simulated using a particle-in-cell code which realistically models ionization of the gas. It was found that when the injected electron beam current exceeds the space-charge limiting current, ions are accelerated to energies several times the electron beam energy by coherent motion of the ions and the intense virtual cathode electric fields. The dependence of the peak ion energy on the system parameters as observed in the simulations is also discussed. For the parameter regimes investigated with beam energies up to 3 MV, beam currents up to 35 kA, gas pressures up to 600 mTorr, and gas cloud widths up to 6 cm, peak ion energies of 5--6 times the electron beam energy have been observed.

• OSTI ID: 7168669
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics; (USA), Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics; (USA) Vol. 67:4; ISSN 0021-8979; ISSN JAPIA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS
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Field Calculations
& Ion Optics
ACCELERATION
BEAM CURRENTS
BEAMS
CATHODES
CURRENTS
DRIFT TUBES
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELECTRODES
ELECTRON BEAMS
ENERGY RANGE
FLUIDS
GASES
KILO AMP BEAM CURRENTS
LEPTON BEAMS
MEV RANGE
MEV RANGE 01-10
NUMERICAL SOLUTION
PARTICLE BEAMS
RELATIVISTIC RANGE
SIMULATION
SPACE CHARGE