Experimental and theoretical studies of the spatial distribution of the ionization rate in a non-self-sustained discharge controlled by a fast electron beam

The spatial distribution of the current density of fast electrons and the ionization rate in a gap filled with atmospheric-pressure air under the conditions of a non-self-sustained discharge controlled by a fast electron beam were investigated. The experiments were carried out in a gas-discharge chamber with a grid electrode arranged in parallel to the exit window of the ionization source. Spatial variations in the current density of fast electrons resulting from the grid were measured. The propagation of the electron beam through the discharge system was simulated numerically by the Monte Carlo method in the so-called “effective collision” approximation. The calculated results agree well with the experimental data.