In-situ anode heating and plasma glow discharge cleaning and its effects on atomic constituents in the A-K gap in Self-Magnetic Pinch (SMP) experiments

The RITS-6 inductive voltage adder (IVA) accelerator (3.5–8.5 MeV) at Sandia National Laboratories produces highpower (TW) focused electron beams (< 3mm diameter) for flash x-ray radiography applications. The Self-Magnetic Pinch (SMP) diode utilizes a hollowed metal cathode to produce a pinched focus onto a high-Z metal anode converter. There is not a clear understanding as to the effects various contaminants such as: C, CO, H, H2O, HmCn, O2, and N2, on the anode surface or in the bulk, may have on impedance dynamics, beam stability, beam spot size, and reproducibility.