The action of ultrashort high-power electron beam pulses on metal targets

The action of high-power subnano-and picosecond electron beam pulses on metal targets has been numerically studied within the framework of a one-dimensional two-temperature model of a metal. The dynamics of strain and stress fields generated in the target by pulses of various durations have been simulated. The rates of tensile straining are significantly higher than the rates of compressive straining. The straining rate is determined by the rate of energy supply and can reach 107−108 s−1 for tensile strains. A decrease in the time of energy deposition from tens of nanoseconds to ∼1 ns and below gives rise to the level of mechanical stresses. It is established that subnanosecond pulses provide a more effective conversion of the electron beam energy into the kinetic energy of a target material and the potential energy of a mechanical stress field.