Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “electron beams”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 253 records · Page 14

Fast Scanning Diamond Detector for Electron Beam Profile Monitoring

The first prototype of a fast scanning diamond beam profile detector (DBPD) suitable for invasive high power CW electron beam core profile measurements in transmittance mode was developed. It consists of a multi-strip solid state diamond detector to scan with high speed (up to 1 m/s) and precision (about 5 μm) through the core of an electron beam. The diamond sensor was made from a thin polycrystalline diamond (PCD) plate with highly B-doped diamond conductive strips both grown by CVD. Transient currents from the multi-strip detector were measured with fast digitizing electrometers. Successful operation of the DBPD was demonstrated for pulsed (5 Hz) and CW (78 kHz) CeC beams, including the detector’s ability to withstand a 20 sec insertion into the CW CeC beam core. The X-Y beam spatial profile was measured in one scan. Thermal modelling demonstrated a manageable thermal impact even from a relatively long insertion of the diamond sensor into the CW CeC core and very short (0.2 s) insertion into the CW LEReC beam core. Electrical impedance modelling of the detector and vacuum chamber assembly demonstrated minimal impact on beam line impedance with diamond sensor insertion.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Electron beam analysis of particulate cometary material

Electron microscopy will be useful for characterization of inorganic dust grains in returned comet nucleus samples. The choice of instrument(s) will depend primarily on the nature of the samples, but ultimately a variety of electron-beam methods could be employed. Scanning and analytical (transmission) electron microscopy are the logical choise for morphological, mineralogical, and bulk chemical analyses of dust grains removed from ices. It may also be possible to examine unmelted ice/dust mixtures using an environmental scanning electron microscope equipped with a cryo-transfer unit and a cold stage. Electron microscopic observations of comet nuclei might include: (1) porosities of dust grains; (2) morphologies and microstructures of individual mineral grains; (3) relative abundances of olivine, pyroxene, and glass; and (4) the presence of phases that might have resulted from aqueous alteration (layer silicates, carbonates, sulfates).

Bradley, John↗

Commissioning of Extended Electron Beam Ion Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory

Here, the Extended Electron Beam Ion Source (EEBIS) has been installed and commissioned at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) hadron accelerator complex in the spring of 2023. EEBIS has replaced its predecessor, RhicEBIS, which provided ions for BNL hadron facilities for over a decade since 2009. The motivations for the source upgrade are to provide higher intensities of the Au 32+ ion beam for the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) and to provide of an intense source of polarized 3 He 2+ ions for the future Electron Ion Collider (EIC) at BNL. EEBIS is and will continue to be the primary source for a variety of different ion species for the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) at BNL. EEBIS utilizes two identical, two-meter-long unshielded 5T warm bore superconducting solenoids, and it is operated with electron beam current up to 10 A, providing a high-capacity ion traps to fulfill the requirement for high intensity ion beams. The upstream solenoid contains a “short ion trap” with a length of 95 cm, while the “long ion trap” with a length of 178 cm is located inside the downstream solenoid bore. The main features of EEBIS are: * A Gas injection and ionization cell equipped with a Lorenz pulse valve * High-capacity ZAO non-evaporable getter (NEG) custom linear pumping units * In situ apparatus for pumping speed measurements to monitor NEG activation and saturation * “External drift tube” construction with differential pumping stages to provide space for Lorentz pulse valve and 3 He high-field polarization cell * A Ba oxide electron gun cathode. The design of EEBIS as well as the results of its commissioning and first-year operation are presented and discussed.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Limiting current in electron-beam welders

Damage to workpiece by excessive current in electron-beam welder is prevented by mechanism that accurately adjusts anode-to-cathode spacing. Mechanism is installed on standard Sciaky (or equivalent) electron-beam gun with only minimal modification. By turning knurled knob and observing digital readout of anode/cathode separation, machine operator adjusts welder for safe maximum current before welding begins.

Spiegel, K. W.↗

Isotope separation using tuned laser and electron beam

The apparatus comprises means for producing an atomic beam containing the isotope of interest and other isotopes. Means are provided for producing a magnetic field traversing the path of the atomic beam of an intensity sufficient to broaden the energy domain of the various individual magnetic sublevels of the isotope of interest and having the atomic beam passing therethrough. A laser beam is produced of a frequency and polarization selected to maximize the activation of only individual magnetic sublevels of the isotope of interest with the portion of its broadened energy domain most removed from other isotopes with the stream. The laser beam is directed so as to strike the atomic beam within the magnetic field and traverse the path of the atomic beam whereby only the isotope of interest is activated by the laser beam. The apparatus further includes means for producing a collimated and high intensity beam of electrons of narrow energy distribution within the magnetic field which is aimed so as to strike the atomic beam while the atomic beam is simultaneously struck by the laser beam and at an energy level selected to ionize the activated isotope of interest but not ground state species included therewith. Deflection means are disposed in the usual manner to collect the ions.

Trajmar, Sandor↗

Electron beams and Langmuir turbulence in solar type III radio bursts observed in the interplanetary medium

Results are presented of in situ observations of electron beams, plasma waves, and associated solar type II radio emission in the interplanetary medium near 1 AU, which were provided by the ISEE-3 spacecraft. It is shown that electron beams are formed by the faster electrons arriving before the slower ones, following an impulsive injection at the sun. The resulting bump-on-tail in the reduced 1D distribution function is unstable to the growth of electrostatic electron plasma (Langmuir) waves. The Langmuir waves are observed to be highly impulsive in nature. The onset and temporal variations of the observed plasma waves are in good qualitative agreement with the wave growth expected from the evolution of the measured 1D distribution function. The lack of obvious plateauing of the bump-on-tail suggests that the waves were removed from resonance with the beam electrons by some wave-wave interaction.

Lin, R. P.↗

The effects of pre-plasma scale length on the relativistic electron beam directionality

The effects of pre-plasmas on the electron beam directionality was experimentally and numerically investigated. Single material and layered targets made of Ti and/or CH were used to simultaneously measure high-energy (≥3 MeV) electrons along two directions, pre-pulse energy and pre-plasma density. The electron directionality is quantified by using a new parameter, the electron energy ratio of the total kinetic energies along the two directions. Measurements and radiation–hydrodynamic (RH) simulations show that a large (≥3.5 μm) plasma scale length at the critical surface enhances electrons along the laser axis, and such pre-plasma conditions could only be achieved with the CH targets. Particle-in-cell simulations were performed on the RH generated pre-plasmas from Ti and CH targets, and the results show that the CH target provided conditions for higher forward momentum gains by electrons. First, the CH target allowed longer distances for electrons to interact with laser. Second, the intense laser pulse modified the critical surface, but the resulting surface differed. The CH target resulted in a smooth surface where a retro-reflection was observed while the Ti target resulted in a rippled surface that scattered the reflected light. As results, the CH electrons gained higher forward momentum via a direct-laser-acceleration in the counter propagating laser fields. So the results presented in this article show a way of controlling the high-energy electron directionality.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Nanometer-scale prebunched electron beams generated from all-optical plasma-based acceleration

High-quality and prebunched electron beams can produce coherent x-rays with high intensity and narrow bandwidth, which are essential for modern light sources. An all-optical scheme based on plasma-based acceleration for producing bright electron beams that are prebunched on the nanometer scale is proposed. By using a density modulation created by two low intensity counterpropagating lasers, the phase velocity of the plasma wake excited by an intense driver laser in a uniform plasma can be modulated at a frequency twice that of the colliding lasers, thus turning the injection on and off. The injected electrons are microbunched at the Doppler-shifted modulated wavelength, corresponding to the phase velocity of the gradually expanding wakefield. It is demonstrated that by controlling the properties of the drive and colliding lasers, beams with exotic prebunched structures can be produced, which may have critical applications in ultrafast high power x-rays. This extremely compact, all-optical scheme for producing ultrabright prebunched electron beams may therefore enable novel applications for ultrafast x-ray users and arouse general interest in various fields.

Beam injection, extraction & transport↗

Ultra small electron beam amplifiers

Data on field emission and microfabrication technologies relevant to the development of low-power electron-beam amplifiers and oscillators are discussed. The fabrication of a thin-film field-emission (TFFE) cathode for a 1-W electron-beam amplifier is examined. Some TFFE cathodes have been developed and tested in electron guns. Recent experimental results reveal that a beam can be formed from the field-emission cathode, and the TFFE cathode is applicable for devices operating below 3 kV at currents of less than 20 mA. The use of microfabrication techniques to construct slow-wave circuits is studied, and the use of finned structures as the slow-wave circuit for an electron-beam oscillator or amplifier is proposed.

Dayton, J. A., Jr.↗

Plasma instabilities of a finite-radius electron beam in a uniform plasma

To study electromagnetic radiation induced by electronn beam injection from the Space Shuttle, the electromagnetic dispersion equation or a finite-radius cold electron beam in a neutralizing background was solved numerically. The numerical solutions indicate that a keV electron beam can drive the beam and whistler modes unstable, regardless of whether the beam is homogeneous or has a finite radius. The results obtained were applied to explain the whistler waves radiated from the keV electron beam injected from Spacelab 2.

Wong, H. K.↗

An electromagnetic/electrostatic dual cathode system for electron beam instruments

A method of providing cathode redundancy which consists of two fixed cathodes and uses electromagnetic and/or electrostatic fields to direct the electron beam to the electron optical axis is presented, with application to the cathode system of the Scanning Electron Microscope and Particle Analyzer proposed for NASA's Mariner Mark II Comet Rendezvous/Asteroid Flyby projected for the 1990s. The symmetric double deflection system chosen has the optical property that the image of the effective electron source is formed above the magnet assembly near the apparent position of the effective source, and it makes the transverse positions of the electron sources independent of the electron beam energy. Good performance of the system is found, with the sample imaging resolution being the same as for the single-axis cathode.

Bradley, J. G.↗

Near fields in the vicinity of pulsed electron beams in space

Most measurements of the radio frequency emissions from artificial electron beams in space have been made in close proximity to the beam. This paper presents theory and results for the near-field radiation associated with the operation of a pulsed electron beam, taking into account the effects of the ionospheric plasma. The beam is modeled as an infinite train of square-wave pulses and the radiation is obtained by adding coherently the radiation from each individual electron in the idealized helical trajectory assumed by the beam as it traverses the magnetized plasma. The mathematical solution is obtained by taking the Fourier transform in space and time of Maxwell's equations and the driving modulated beam current, and then taking the inverse transform of the resulting electric field. Typical electric field strengths are presented for a range of modulation frequencies extending from below the ion cyclotron to the electron cyclotron frequency.

Harker, K. J.↗

A compact, high resolution energy, and emittance diagnostic for electron beams using active plasma lenses

High-resolution (sub-%), single-shot energy distribution, and emittance measurements of GeV-class electron beams generated by laser plasma accelerators (LPAs) have been enabled through the use of an active plasma lens combined with relatively short dipole magnets. This setup, with only 60 cm between the LPA source and the final diagnostic screen, was facilitated through the use of a replenishable ∼20–40 nm thick liquid crystal plasma mirror to separate remnant laser radiation from the electron beam without emittance degradation. As LPAs capable of generating GeV-class electron beams at cm-scale distances become increasingly ubiquitous, there is a need to supplement these compact accelerators with equally compact diagnostics.

Barber, S. K. (ORCID:0000000172518755)↗

Auroral electron beams near the magnetic equator

Intense beams of electrons traveling parallel to the local magnetic field have been observed at a magnetic latitude of 11 deg and a radial distance of 6.6 earth radii. The distribution function for electrons traveling within 8 deg of the field line direction is typically flat or slightly rising up to a break point beyond which it decreases as inversely as the 5-10th power of v. The energy corresponding to the break point velocity is usually between 0.1 and 10 keV. These beams are found to occur on closed field lines at the inner edge of the plasma sheet and thus at the root of the earth's magnetotail. Beams with break point energies greater than 2 keV seem to occur only within the first 10 minutes after the onset of hot plasma injection associated with a magnetospheric substorm.

Mcilwain, C. E.↗

Dual-Cathode Electron-Beam Source

Beam from either cathode electromagnetically aligned with exit port. Electron beam from either of two cathodes deflected by magnetic and electric fields to central axis. Mechanical alignment of beam easy because cathode axes, anode apertures, and electron trajectories coplanar. Applications where uninterrupted service needed: scanning electron microscopes, transmission electron microscopes, electron-beam lithography equipment, Auger instruments, and microfocused x-ray sources.

Bradley, James G.↗