PLASMA ELECTRON SOURCE WITH RADIALLY CONVERGENT-BEAM

The construction of a plasma electron source with a radially convergen t beam extracted from the glow-discharge plasma is described. The disc harge is initiated within the rod-like structure of cathode electrodes with a general hollow anode in the circular magnetic field. The effic ient withdrawal of electrons is made possible when the magnetic field perpendicular to the electron motion is ''weighed down'' in the direct ion of the emission slit. The geometry of the anode insert and the ext racting electrode strongly influences the current parameters of the ra dially convergent electron beam. At discharge currents over 0.5 A and an accelerating voltage of 20 Kv the beam current at the output of the source is greater than 0.2 A.