High intensity radiation source

Claim 1

A RADIATION SOURCE COMPRISING: (A) ENVELOPE MEANS OF PREDETERMINED DIMENSIONS AND CONFIGURATION, A PORTION OF SAID ENVELOPE MEANS BEING RADIATION TRANSMITTING, ANOTHER PORTION OF SAID ENVELOPE MEANS BEING RADIATION REFLECTING AND HAVING A FOCAL POINT POSITIONED WITHIN SAID ENVELOPE MEANS, AND THE RELATIVE POSITIONING OF THE RADIATIONREFLECTING ENVELOPE PORTION AND THE RADIATION-TRANSMITTING ENVELOPE PORTION BEING SUCH THAT SUBSTANTIALLY ALL RADIATIONS GENERATED PROXIMATE TO SAID FOCAL POINT ARE ULTIMATELY DIRECTED TOWARD THE RADIATIONTRANSMITTING ENVELOPE PORTION; (B) A COOLED ANODE AND A COOLED CATHODE OPERATIVELY POSITIONED WITHIN SAID ENVELOPE MEANS AND ABOUT SAID FOCAL POINT AND ADAPTED TO BE ENERGIZED WITH A PREDETERMINED POWER INPUT TO SUSTAIN AN INTENSE ARC DISCHARGE THEREBETWEEN AND PROXIMATE TO SAID FOCAL POINT; (C) AN APERTURE OF PREDETERMINED DIMENSION PROVIDED THROUGH SAID ANODE AND EXTENDING THROUGH SAID ENVELOPE MEANS AND OPERABLE TO CONDUCT PLASMA THERETHROUGH; (D) GAS-SOURCE MEANS TERMINATING IN GAS-INLET MEANS EXTENDING INTO SAID ENVELOPE MEANS AT A LOCATION WHICH IS POSITIONED ABOUT SAID RADIATION-TRANSMITTING ENVELOPE PORTION AND OPERABLE, DURING OPERATION OF SAID SOURCE, TO PASS A SELECTED DISCHARGE-SUSTAINING GAS AT A PREDETERMINED PRESSURE INTO SAID ENVELOPE MEANS TO CREATE A GAS STREAM MOVING TOWARD THE ANODIC APERTURE PROVIDED THROUGH SAID ENVELOPE MEANS; AND (E) THE DIMENSIONS OF SAID ANODIC APERTURE, THE PREDETERMINED PRESSURE OF SELECTED GAS PASSED THROUGH SAID GAS-INLET MEANS AND THE PREDETERMINED ELECTRICAL POWER ADAPTED TO BE PLACES INTO SAID ANODE AND SAID CATHODE BEARING SUCH RELATIONSHIP TO ONE ANOTHER THAT DURING OPERATION OF SAID SOURCE, THE GAS-OPERATING PRESSURE WITHIN SAID ENVELOPE MEANS IN AT LEAST TEN ATMOSPHERES AND THE TOTAL ENERGY DISSIPATED AS PLASMA EXITING THROUGH THE ANODIC APERTURE PROVIDED THROUGH SAID ENVELOPE MEANS IS LESS THAN THE TOTAL ENERGY DIRECTED AS RADIATIONS TOWARD THE RADIATION-TRANSMITTING ENVELOPE PORTION.