A PULSED PLASMA GUN FOR INTENSE ION-BEAM INJECTORS

We have constructed a plasma gun which can produce a homogeneous plasma over a large area in high-voltage diodes. The gun has an independent power supply, and is able to create a plasma on the high-voltage electrode as well as on the low-voltage electrode of the diode. Plasma density as well as production time can be controlled. The gun consists of a battery-operated high-voltage circuit embedded in the diode shank, and a TiH2 filled, arcing grooves flashboard. Negative ion beams with an intensity of 6 A/cm2, a divergence of tens of milliradians, and a total current of about 1 kA have been produced with this gun in racetrack and annular magnetically insulated diode configurations.