In this work, the spectra of electron beams produced in air-filled diodes at atmospheric pressure were studied for different cathode designs. The feasibility of correct reconstruction of the electron beam spectrum from an experimental dependence of its attenuation factor in foils of different thicknesses was demonstrated. The electron energy distributions were calculated on minimum a priori assumptions by regularization of an ill-posed problem—a Fredholm integral equation. The spectra of a subnanosecond electron beam generated in the gas gap during the voltage pulse rise time were reconstructed and analysed. A time-of-flight spectrometer study and reconstruction of the spectrum from the data on e-beam attenuation confirmed the fact that groups of electrons with two-three characteristic energies can be generated in gas-filled diodes. In experiments, electrons of energy greater than that corresponding to the nominal voltage amplitude across the gap were detected.
High-voltage picosecond breakdown of an atmospheric-pressure air-filled coaxial line in the radial electric field of a propagating transverse electromagnetic wave has been studied both experimentally and theoretically. On the one hand, we demonstrate that gas preionization by runaway electrons (RAEs) plays a decisive role in the breakdown development process: the breakdown delay time drastically increases in the absence of RAEs. On the other hand, it is established that, for sufficiently short pulses, the radial gap switching process does not have enough time to develop even in a situation where the RAE flow is effectively generated. Fundamental limitations on the breakdown strength of gas coaxial feeders imposed by this effect are discussed.
This paper presents detailed results of gas discharge theoretical simulation and the explanation of probabilistic mechanism of fast-electrons generation. Within the framework of a hybrid mathematical model, the hydrodynamic and the kinetic approaches are used simultaneously in order to describe the dynamics of different components of a low-temperature discharge plasma. The breakdown of a coaxial diode occurs in the form of a dense plasma region expanding from the cathode. On this background there is a formation of runaway electrons that are initiated by the ensemble of plasma electrons generated in the region of locally enhanced electric field within the front of the dense plasma. It is shown that the power spectrum of fast electrons in the discharge contains the group of electrons with the so-called "anomalous" energies. Comparison of the calculation results with the existent experimental data gives a good agreement for all major process parameters.
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