Influence of current – conducting inserts in a drift tube on transportation of a pulsed electron beam at gigawatt power

This paper describes the results of experimental research on the influence of the current-conducting inserts in a drift tube on transportation of a pulsed electron beam at gigawatt power and nanosecond duration. The experimental investigation was conducted using a TEU–500 laboratory-pulsed electron accelerator (parameters of the accelerator: Up to 550 keV; output electron current: 11.5 kA; pulse duration (at half-height): 60 ns; pulse frequency: 5 pulses/s; pulse energy: Up to 280 J). Air was chosen as the propagation medium. The pressure in the drift tube is 50 Torr. It is revealed that the pulsed electron beam transport depends on the geometry of the current-conducting inserts in a drift tube. The direction of the pulsed electron beam propagation can be regulated by changing the geometry of the current-conducting insert. The experimental research was verified by theoretical calculations.