Intense electron-beam ionization physics in air

In this paper we study, experimentally and theoretically, the interactions of an intense electron beam with an initially-neutral background gas. The Naval Research Laboratory's Gamble II generator [J. D. Shipman, Jr., IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci. NS-18, 243 (1971)] was used to drive an annular 900 kV, 800 kA beam, whose effects on background air in the pressure range similar to0.01 to 10 Torr were studied. Experimental diagnostics included a sophisticated two-color interferometer for time-resolved measurements of the background electron density, B-dot monitoring of the global net current, and x-ray pinhole images of the beam location. Data obtained were compared to extensive simulations using three numerical models that incorporated complex beam physics, atomic processes, and the capability for simulating strongly-disturbed gases. Good simulation agreement with net current and electron density as a function of pressure was obtained using a scaled pressure. Simulated and experimental net current fractions (at peak beam current) for the 1-10 Torr collision-dominated transport regime were on the order of 10%, while ionization fractions after the beam pulse were 20% for 10 Torr, rising to nearly 100% at the lower pressure of 0.5 Torr. More advanced model development is underway to better understand the important physics of beam-gas interactions. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.