Thermal phenomena induced in a small tungsten sample during irradiation with a few MeV electron beam: Experiment versus simulations

• Relativistic electron.
• Beam–metal interaction.
• Heat equation.
• W and C.

We present an experimental and theoretical semi-analytical study of thermal fields induced in a small cylindrical sample made of tungsten and irradiated by an electron beam with energy of 6 MeV and average power of 62 W, obtained from a linear accelerator (LINAC). The sample has a diameter comparable with that of the electron beam, of about 10 mm, and a length of 10 cm. Calorimetric measurements of the sample temperature were compared with simulations obtained by solving the heat equation and by taking into account the range of mono-energetic electrons in the W target. We based our assumptions on the fact that for an incident laser or electron beam on a metallic target the heat transfer formalism is the same, obeying the heat equation.