Transport efficiency of intense relativistic electron beam in preformed plasma channel

Relativistic electron beam (REB: 300 keV, 5 kA, 60 ns) transport efficiency has been investigated by injecting the REB into a preformed argon plasma c hannel in a drift tube. Transport efficiency was obtained using two Rogowsk i coils separated 20 cm from each other. In the vacuum drift tube, the tran sport efficiency is about 20%, in which the propagation beam current is bel ow the space charge limiting current. It is found that the transport effici ency can be increased to 48% when the preformed plasma channel density is 1 .3 x 10(11) cm(-3), which is close to that of REB.