Numerical analysis of gas ionization by an intense pulsed electron beam

Intense pulsed electron beams of various types are widely used at present for the researches on the plasma production, radiation chemistry in gas phase, and gas laser. However, the details of gas ionization processes above several Torr by intense pulsed electron beams have been hardly clarified. In this study, a program has been designed which can make a numerical analysis of gas ionization by pulsed electron beams self-consistently including the effects of induced electric field and plasma backward current. The validity and usefulness of this program have been confirmed by its application to Ar. This program is applicable to any gas and to pulsed electron beams of arbitrary characteristics, and useful to clarify the roles of various elementary processes during ionization. (author)