THEORY OF THE ELECTRON FRACTURE MODE IN SOLIDS

The theoretical model serving to explain and describe the phenomenon o f the electron fracture mode (EFM) discovered experimentally nearly 20 years ago is advanced. EFM is characterized by the. brittle cleavage of common plastic crystals proceeding with supersonic velocities indep endently of initial cracks when subjected to high-intensity electron b eams. Using the invariant GAMMA integral of an electromagnetic deforma ble medium, it is proven that two electrons moving faster than the pha se speed of light attract one another, as distinct from the common Cou lomb's law. Self-packing of such relativistic electron beams is studie d using a periodic chain model. It is suggested that during irradiatio n of a solid by a high-intensity electron beam, some electron clusters are formed, which act as wedges cutting the crystalline specimen. The dynamic problem of supersonic cutting by a thin wedge is studied, and the drag is calculated. The length of the resulting crack is computed . The theoretical results are confirmed by available experimental data .