Characterization of the 20-T immersed diode on RITS-3

Summary form only given. Sandia National Laboratories is investigating and developing high-dose, high-brightness flash radiographic sources. One of the candidate sources being developed is the magnetically immersed diode. These diodes employ large-bore, high-field solenoid magnets to help produce an intense electron beam from a needle-like cathode "immersed" in the strong Bz field of the magnet. Sandia's RITS-3 accelerator (4-MV, 150-kA, 70-ns) has been used to fully characterize the diode behavior and radiographic performance of Sandia's 20-T large bore immersed diode over a wide range of diode parameters including cathode diameter, A-K gap, magnetic field strength, anode materials, base vacuum pressures and accelerator pre-pulse. Key results from this extensive survey are described.