Open-discharge generation of a beam of 'runaway' electrons suitable for the pumping of gaseous media

Stable operation of a large-volume (~3 litres) open discharge with a grid anode and a large cathode (~1100 cm²) was achieved at neon pressures of 67–1333 Pa. A beam of electrons with energies of the order of several kiloelectron-volts was formed in a ~5 mm long discharge gap by the 'runaway' of electrons when the gap was subjected to nanosecond high-voltage (2–12 kV) pulses. The following electron-beam parameters were achieved: the beam current was ~10 kA, the pulse duration was ~30 ns, and the repetition frequency was ~3 kHz at the neon pressure of ~1333 Pa.