Apparatus for the establishment and acceleration of a narrow high current beam

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING AND ACCELERATING AN INTENSE NARROW BEAM OF ELECTRONS WHICH COMPRISES AN ELONGATED CLOSED CYLINDRICAL HOUSING HAVING A FOIL TARGET MOUNTED AT ONE EXTREMITY THEREOF ADJACENT THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS THEREOF, A COLD EMISSION CATHODE MOUNTED WITHIN SAID HOUSING ADJACENT THE OTHER EXTREMITY THEREOF, SAID CATHODE HAVING AN ELONGATED CONE-SHAPED TIP DIRECTED ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID HOUSING TOWARD SAID FOIL TARGET, BEAM FOCUSING MEANS POSITIONED WITHIN SAID HOUSING IN COAXIAL RELATION WITH THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS THEREOF AND IN SPACED RELATION TO THE CONE-SHAPED TIP OF SAID CATHODE, MEANS INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID CATHODE AND SAID FOCUSING MEANS FOR EFFECTING A HIGH FIELD EMISSION OF ELECTRONS FROM THE TIP OF SAID CATHODE AND FOR DIRECTING THE EMITTED ELECTRONS TO SAID BEAMS FOCUSING MEANS, A PLURALITY OF SPACEDAPART RING-TYPE CORES MOUNTED WITHIN SAID HOUSING IN CONCENTRIC RELATION WITH THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS THEREOF, SAID CORES BEING DISPOSED TRANSVERSELY OF THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID HOUSING AND SPACED BETWEEN SAID FOCUSING MEANS AND SAID FOIL TARGET, AND MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY ENERGIZING SAID CORES SO AS TO ESTABLISH A GLOW DISCHARGE WITHIN SAID HOUSING ADJACENT THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS THEREOF AND CREATE AN ACCELERATING FIELD IN THE DIRECTION OF THE OUTLET EXTREMITY OF SAID HOUSING, SAID GLOW DISCHARGE FUNCTIONING TO NEUTRALIZE THE FOCUSED BEAM OF ELECTRONS EMANATING FROM SAID FOCUSING MEANS AND BEING ACCELERATED TOWARD SAID TARGET ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID HOUSING SO THAT THE BEAM OF ELECTRONS IS MAINTAINED IN A NARROW CONFIGURATION.