Abstract
New understanding of the mechanism of runaway electrons beam generation in gases is presented. It is shown that the Townsend mechanism of avalanche electron multiplication is valid even for strong electric fields when the electron ionization friction on the gas may be neglected. A non-local criterion for runaway electron generation is proposed. This criterion results in the universal two-valued dependence of critical voltage Ucr on pd for a certain gas (p is pressure, d is interelectrode distance). This dependence subdivides a plane (U, pd) onto an area of efficient electron multiplication and an area where the electrons leave the gas gap without multiplication. On the basis of this dependence analogs of Paschen's curves are constructed, which contain an additional new upper branch. This brunch demarcates the area of discharge and the e-beam area.
Electron beams of subnanosecond pulse duration and amplitudes of hundreds of amperes have been created at atmospheric pressure in various gases. It is shown that the beam of the runaway electrons is formed at an instant when the plasma of the discharge gap approaches the anode. In this case a basic pulse of the electron beam is formed according to the non-local criterion of runaway electron generation.
A volume nanosecond discharge with high specific excitation power in the absence of gap preionization by an additional external source has been realized. The role of discharge gap preionization by the fast electrons, emitted from the plasma non-uniformities on the cathode, as well as propagation of an electron multiplication wave from cathode to anode in a dense gas are considered.
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