Intense Relativistic Electron Beam Propagation in Evacuated Drift Tubes

The propagation of a magnetically confined intense relativistic electron beam (IREB) (1 MeV, 27 kA, 20 ns FWHM) in vacuum drift tubes has been studied experimentally and theoretically. Experimental results for current propagation as a function of uniform applied magnetic field (0–1.2 T) are presented for various drift tube diameters, cathode geometries, and anode aperture sizes. An analytic model of laminar beam flow is presented which predicts the space‐charge‐limited current of a solid IREB propagating in a grounded drift tube. A steady‐state equilibrium is examined and is compared with the experimental results.