Effect of emission current delay on the efficiency of electron beam production

The vacuum diode of an ASTRA-M pulsed electron accelerator with cathodes providing various delay times of the emission current from the beginning of the accelerating voltage pulse was tested. The long delay times of the emission current raised the maximum value of the accelerating voltage pulse and the value of average electron kinetic energy. As a result, the ejected beam energy-loss decreased, while the total accelerator efficiency increased.