Measuring the virtual cathode velocity

An electron beam with a virtual cathode (VC) transported in a two-section drift tube of a SINUS-7 high-current electron accelerator has been studied. The dependence of the VC velocity on the injected current has been experimentally determined for the first time. It is established that the VC motion in the drift tube is accompanied by microwave oscillations, which are caused by transient processes involved in the formation of a compressed electron beam.