Cylindrical electron beam generating/triggering device and method for generation of electrons

A method for generating an electron beam, comprising the steps of:

• forming a central opening in a cylinder-shaped member formed from a dielectric material having a dielectric constant ε>100, said central opening extending longitudinally of said cylinder-shaped member along the axis of symmetry thereof;
• connecting an internal electrode to an internal surface of said cylinder-shaped member, said internal surface being defined by said central opening;
• connecting an external electrode to an external surface of said cylinder-shaped member;
• positioning said cylinder-shaped member in proximity to a cathode member having sidewalls and a bottom, said sidewalls of said cathode member being in surrounding relationship with at least a portion of said external surface of said cylinder-shaped member, said central opening of said cylinder-shaped member being substantially aligned with a central bore opening formed in said bottom of said cathode member;
• electrically coupling said cathode member to said external electrode;
• positioning an anode member remotely from said cathode member;
• applying a triggering pulse between said internal and external electrodes to create electrons emission from said internal surface of said cylinder-shaped member and to form conducting plasma in said central opening thereof expanding along said central opening until a capacitor formed by said cylinder-shaped member and said external electrode has been substantially fully charged;
• and
• applying a voltage to said anode member to create a voltage difference between said cathode and anode members for at least a portion of a duration of said triggering pulse to accelerate the electrons of said conducting plasma in said central opening of said cylinder-shaped member and to extract said electrons from said plasma through said central bore opening towards said anode member in the form of a electron beam.

A trigger in an electron generating device, the trigger comprising:

• a cylinder-shaped member made of a dielectric material, said cylinder-shaped member having an external surface and a central opening formed in said cylinder-shaped member, said central opening extending longitudinally along the symmetry axis of said cylinder-shaped members and defining an internal surface thereof;
• an internal electrode electrically coupled to said cylinder-shaped member at said internal surface thereof;
• an external electrode electrically coupled to said cylinder-shaped member at said external surface thereof;
• and
• a source of a triggering pulse coupled between said internal and external electrodes,
• wherein, upon application of said triggering pulse between said internal and external electrodes, an electric field in vicinity of said internal electrode creates electrons emission from said internal surface of said cylinder-shaped member and formation of conducting plasma filling said central opening thereof, thus igniting the electron generating device to produce a beam of high-energy electrons, wherein said conducting plasma expands along said internal surface until a capacitor formed by said cylinder-shaped member and said external electrode is substantially fully charged.

A method of triggering generation of electrons in an electrons generating device, comprising the steps of:

• forming a central opening in a cylinder-shaped member made from a dielectric material having a dielectric constant ε>100, said central opening extending longitudinally said cylinder-shaped member along the axis of symmetry thereof;
• connecting an internal electrode to an internal surface of said cylinder-shaped member, said internal surface being defined by said central opening;
• connecting an external electrode to an external surface of said cylinder-shaped member;
• and
• applying a triggering pulse between said internal and external electrodes to create emission of electrons from said internal surface of said cylinder-shaped member and to form conducting plasma in said central opening thereof, thus igniting the electrons generating device, wherein said emitted electrons are concentrated at said axis of symmetry of said cylinder-shaped member, and wherein an electrical field applied to said conducting plasma accelerates said concentrated electrons to a high energy, thus producing a high-energy electron beam.