CONTRIBUTORS TO AIRIX FOCAL SPOT SIZE

High intensity electron beam focusing is a key issue for the successful development of flash radiography at hydro test facilities. AIRIX is a 2 kA, 19 MeV, 60 ns, single shot linear accelerator that produces X-rays from the interaction between relativistic electrons and a Tantalum solid target (Ta). A simulation tool has been developed to model the pulsed-beam dynamics through the accelerator from the cathode to the target. This simulator has allowed to estimate the contribution to the beam size on the target (focal spot) of beam emittance, pulse energy dispersion, pluse rising and falling fronts and the ion production on the target. The quantified contributions of these phenomena are review here.