An Automated System for Measuring the Current Density of a Pulse–Periodic Electron Beam with a Large Cross Section

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Abstract—In an electron source with a mesh plasma cathode on the basis of a low-pressure arc discharge, studies of the spatiotemporal stability of a pulse–periodic beam with a large cross section (750 × 150 mm²), which was extracted into the atmosphere through an output foil window, were performed. The automated system that was used in the studies allowed real-time measurements with the ability to visualize the data on a computer. This system provides an accuracy of measurements of no worse than ±2%; it differs from the known analogues in the compactness, reliability, and simplicity of its design and allows studies of the current-density distribution over the beam cross section in a wide range of beam parameters, such as the beam energy, beam current, and beam-current pulse duration. A satisfactory coincidence of the previously obtained data and the present experimental data is shown with the possibility of substantially increasing the accuracy of setting up a scientific experiment and, consequently, the speed of debugging and the reproducibility of the technological process.