The triggered pseudo-spark chamber as a fast switch and as a high-intensity beam source

The pseudo-spark phenomenon opens a wide field of applications in accelerator, high-voltage, and high-current handling technology. A basic model is described which explains the initialization and the growth of the pseudo-spark discharge process in two phases. The discharge characteristics of single-gap and multigap pseudo-spark chambers have been investigated. In both types of chambers the breakdown can be triggered easily. With single-gap chambers one can switch voltages in the kV range and currents in the kA range. Multigap chambers generate pulsed, pinched electron beams with peak currents up to 5 kA with fwhm of 2 ns to 20 ns and densities greater than 106 A/cm2. With the aid of these intense electron beams, highly charged ions such as Kr13+ have been produced. From multigap chambers one can also extract well-focused ion beams. The experimental results are compared with a model describing the pseudo-spark phenomenon. The applications of the pseudo-spark chamber as a triggerable, fast, high-voltage, high-current switch and as a pulsed, high-density electron- and ion-beam source are discussed. (orig.)