Computed secondary-electron and electric field distributions in an electron-beam-controlled gas-discharge laser

A Monte Carlo calculation indicates, to first order, the effect of a 4-kV/cm atm sustainer field on the primary-electron dose distribution and the secondary-electron density distribution in an electron-beam-controlled gas-discharge laser. For the 100-keV incident electrons considered, the electron range is, at most, doubled by the field and the maximum lateral displacement increases by 50%. For electrodes separated by 1.1 times the no-field electron range, the secondary electron density has a spatial variation to first order of ± 20%.