Intense electron beam propagation through insulators: Ionization front structure and stability

The structure and stability of the ionization front, which occurs as a high intensity electron beam propagates through an insulator, are considered. It is found that, due to the electric field ionization, the velocity of the front, V-f, has a nonmonotonic dependence on the beam density, n(b), and in some particular beam density range V-f increases with increasing n(b). Two instabilities of the ionization front associated with the electric field ionization process of the insulator are found: a long wavelength (similar or equal to few mu) and relatively slow (similar to 10(13) s(-1)) corrugation instability and a short wavelength (similar to sub mu) and relatively fast (similar to fewx10(13) s(-1)) electric field ionization instability. (C) 2005 American Institute of Physics.