Charged particle beams

Charged-particle beams have a wide variety of applications. This variety is illustrated in the very diverse fields of electron microscopy, microwave tubes, high energy physics, fusion research, isotope separation, ion implantation, satellite propulsion and surface physics. The underlying theory of charged particle beams is outlined in a unified way, with comments on alternative viewpoints where appropriate. The basic disciplines are charged particle optics, statistical mechanics, and plasma physics; these deal respectively with particle orbits, the properties of ensembles of orbits, and collective effects of the interaction between the particles which constitute the beam. (author)