A Study of Intense Energetic Electron Beams in X-Pinch Experiments

Abstract

High-energy electron beams, with electron kinetic energies (~1 MeV) much greater than the surrounding plasma temperature (<1 keV), are a common feature in Z-pinch pulsed power experiments. Their existence is indicated by non-thermal spectral signatures, such as high-energy Bremsstrahlung photons from the anode hardware and characteristic X-ray emission not representative of the pinch "hot-spot" temperatures. Despite their regular occurrence, the properties of these beams (kinetic energy, current) are not well known.This dissertation describes an experimental study of X-pinch generated high-intensity electron beams, performed on the 1 MA pulsed power generator at the Nevada Terawatt Facility, and the feasibility of a novel method for inferring the total kinetic energy in the beam, through time-resolved measurements of the beam-induced shock that propagates through the anode.