TRANSFORMATION OF THE BENNET DISTRIBUTION IN A RAREFIED GAS.

The usual Bennet distribution of particles in a beam is characterized by a density which decreases comparatively slowly with increasing radius; this is a negative factor in the solution of problems associated with the formation of a thin, powerful, quasistationary, relativistic electron beam (REB). Under sufficiently high pressure of the residual gas effect of the current of secondary electrons of the plasma, produced by the ionization of the gas by the beam, on the state of the main beam must be taken into account. As a result of this effect, an equilibrium state of the REB with a steeper, than in the case of the Bennet distribution, drop in the particle density toward the periphery of the beam can form. The main result of this work is that for REB currents of I greater than equivalent to 1 kA the longitudinal electron current of the secondary plasma significantly alters the configuration of the electron base.