Industrial applications of pulse power and particle beams

Abstract

An overview is given of recent progress in the industrial applications of intense pulse power and associated particle beams, except for activities in inertial confinement fusion. In particular, several topics are discussed which relate to the applications in the R&D of materials, the excitation of short wavelength lasers, the generation of charged particle beams, and the development of plasma X-ray sources.I. Applications in material processing. If intense pulsed charged particle beams are directed onto materials, only their surfaces where the beam energy is deposited are quickly heated up to very high temperatures. Using the pulsed beam in this way, we might expect to apply them in R&D of materials. Several novel attempts have been made, e.g., on the preparation of thin films by use of a high-density high-temperature plasma, surface modification by surface heating, and ion-beam mixing of multi-layers by use of the focused electron or ion beams, and so on. Furthermore, experimental studies have been done on the surface modification by ion implantation and the evaluation of the damage due to the irradiation by ion beams.II. Applications in the excitation of short wavelength lasers. Activities in the excitation of high-power, short wavelength lasers by using electron beams or ion beams have increased considerably.III. Applications in the generation of charged particle beams, and the development of plasma X-ray source. With regard to new accelerator technologies, several attempts are underway on the application of the modified betatron or the development of a convergent electron beam accelerator with a plasma cathode.