2024/11/23 by Paul Denham, Denham, Paul, Alex Ody +9
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Applied Physics (physics.app-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences #Instrumentation and Detectors (physics.ins-det) #Integrated Circuits and Semiconductor Failure Analysis #Nuclear Physics and Applications #Pulsed Power Technology Applications
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2411.15460
openalex publication_date 2024/11/23 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
We present an experimental demonstration of a single-shot, non-destructive electron beam diagnostic based on the ionization of a low-density pulsed gas jet. In our study, 7~MeV electron bunches from a radio frequency (RF) photoinjector, carrying up to 100 pC of charge, traversed a localized distribution of nitrogen gas (N2). The interaction of the electron bunches with the N2 gas generated a correlated signature in the ionized particle distribution, which was spatially magnified using a series of electrostatic lenses and recorded with a micro-channel-plate detector. Various modalities, including point-to-point imaging and velocity mapping, are investigated. A temporal trace of the detector current enabled the identification of single- and double-ionization events. The characteristics of the ionization distribution, dependence on gas density, total bunch charge, and other parameters, are described. Approaches to scaling to higher electron bunch density and energy are suggested. Additionally, the instrument proves useful for comprehensive studies of the ionization process itself.