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Pseudospark discharge; hollow cathode; electron beam; plasma cathode electron gun; particle-in-cell simulation.

This paper presents the experimental studies on self-breakdown-based single-gap plasma cathode electron (PCE) gun (5–20 kV/50–160 A) in argon, gas atmosphere and its performance evaluation based on particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation code `OOPIC-Pro’.The PCE-Gun works in conducting phase (low energy, high current) of pseudospark discharge. It produces an intense electron beam, which can propagate more than 200 mm in the drift space region without external magnetic field. The profile of this beam in the drift space region at different breakdown conditions (i.e., gas pressures and applied voltages) has been studied and the experimental results are compared with simulated values. It is demonstrated that ∼30% beam current is lost during the propagation possibly due to space charge neutralization and collisions with neutral particles and walls.

Niraj Kumar^{1 2} Nalini Pareek^{1 2} Udit Narayan Pal^{1 2} Deepak Kumar Verma¹ Jitendra Prajapati¹ Mahesh Kumar¹ Bharat Lal Meena¹ Ram Prakash^{1 2}

1. Microwave Tubes Division, CSIR-Central Electronics and Engineering Research Institute, Pilani 333 031, India
2. Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), New Delhi 110 025, India

Published

June 2014

Manuscript received

14 January 2013

Manuscript revised

29 November 2013

Accepted

8 January 2014

Early published

3 June 2014