Nuclear Engineering Commons^™

Explosive Electron Emission And The Characteristics Of High-Current Electron Flow, Robert Kelley Parker

Nuclear Engineering ETDs

Within the past several years, an increasing effort has been concen­trated on the application of high-current, relativistic electron beams to the problem of controlled thermonuclear fusion. Initially, this effort had been impeded by limitations in the high-voltage and pulsed-power technology required to develop pulsed, high-power electron accelerators. These technologies have been developed to a level where powers on the order of 10¹³ watts are now available for time durations of approximately 100 nanoseconds. With the initial limitations removed, the emphasis has more recently been centered on controlling and concentrating these beams to achieve the parameters necessary for fusion experimentation. …