Deflection of carbon dioxide laser and helium-neon laser beams in a long-pulse relativistic electron beam diode

Deflection of carbon dioxide and helium-neon laser beams has been used to measure plasma and neutral density gradients during the operating mode and after the shorting time of a long-pulse field-emission electron beam diode. Plasma density gradients of (1014–1015) cm−4 were observed throughout the diode during the final microsecond of the 2–3 μs electron beam pulse. The neutral density gradient was less than 1×1018 cm−4 during the electron beam pulse. Upon diode shorting, neutral density gradients increased to (1018–1019) cm−4 over ∼1 μs, and decayed over many microseconds. Plasma density gradients of ∼1015 cm−4 were also observed after shorting. These experiments demonstrate the value of carbon-dioxide laser and helium-neon laser deflection for diagnosing plasma and neutral particles in long-pulse electron beam diodes.