Electrostatic cumulation of high-current electron beams for terahertz sources

The electrostatic cumulation of current density in relativistic vacuum diodes with ring-type cathodes is described theoretically and confirmed experimentally. The distinctive feature of the suggested cumulation mechanism is a very low energy spread of electrons. As a result of electrostatic cumulation, a thin relativistic electron beam with a current density of1kA/mm2can be formed. This quantity exceeds typical current density values in high-current Cherenkov sources by an order of magnitude. Such a beam can be used as an active medium in high-power terahertz sources.