Relativistic Electron Beam Heating of a Fully Ionized Plasma

Relativistic electron beams with 0.4<νγ<2.2 have been used in this experiment to heat a high-density [n~(5-8)×10¹³ cm^-3] fully ionized hydrogen plasma immersed in a magnetic field. The resulting heating levels are strongly dependent on the effective diode impedance Z=V/I and, correspondingly, the νγ of the beam. Measurement of the total plasma energy from the plasma diamagnetism and the ion energy distribution from analyses of charge-exchange neutral atoms are used to determine scaling laws for the beam-plasma interaction.