Self-confinement of a fast pulsed electron beam generated in a double discharge

The construction of a double discharge pulsed electron beam generator and the study of the characteristics of the beam are presented in this paper. The electron beam generator consists of a fast filamentary discharge in superposition with an ordinary glow discharge in low-pressure gases. The filling gas is argon or helium at approximately 0.1 Torr pressure. The duration of the electron beam is shorter than 50 ns and the peak current intensity is of the order of amperes. The electron density is evaluated by making use of Stark broadening of the Hβ line and compared with the full computer simulation method. The pinch effect of the filamentary discharge is evaluated and its size compared with the diameter of the beam.