Plasma Electron Gun Feasibility Experiments

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A research program is proposed to determine the scientific feasibility of a new type of broad area (1000 cm2), high energy (400 KeV) electron gun concept. This plasma electron (PE) gun uses a plasma, which is generated at low gas pressure using a thin-wire cold-cathode discharge, as the dc source of electrons. The extracted electrons are formed in beamlets which pass through a thin metal foil window, its support structure and into air with minimum losses. The result is a new, innovative electron gun which is expected to offer substantial benefits, relative to other gun designs, including: (1) higher electrical efficiency (85%); and (2) higher operating voltage (400 kV); and (3) longer life (10,000 hours) and (4) lower cost ($4/Watt). These attributes are critical for many environmental and industrial applications. The Phase I effort will consist of the following three tasks: (1) design and construction of a 50 kV PE-gun apparatus; (2) experiments to determine the characteristics of the plasma generator and (3) measurement of the electron beam properties to investigate loss mechanisms and beam uniformity. Successful completion of these tasks will provide a firm foundation for high voltage, high power experiments with a laboratory prototype PE-gun in Phase II.