Numerical calculations of the formation and vacuum transport of high-current relativistic electron beams

Strong relativistic electron beams in the microsecond range, with a current density of 1-10 kA/cm/sup 2/, and a stored energy of tens of hundreds of kilojoules can be used effectively for plasma heating in open traps. The authors given the results of numerical calculations of the parameters of beams obtained in diodes with quasiplane and annular cathodes in an external magnetic field. The results of the calculations are compared with the experimental data. The comparison is made for initial times (t less than or equal to 0.4 ..mu..sec), when the change in the accelerating gap due to filling of the diode with plasma is still insignificant. The question of the influence of nonuniformity of emission from the cathode on the amount of current of a plane diode is also analyzed by numerical modeling.