Study of explosive-emissive graphite cathodes in the pulsed-periodic operating regime

Emission properties of a graphite cathode supplied by voltage pulses with an amplitude of ˜300 kV, a pulse width of ˜10
^-9
and a pulse repetition frequency of up to 3.5 kHz, have been studied. The electron beam had a peak power of 0.6 GW and an average power of up to 3 kW. A single current pulse had energy of ˜1 J. Dynamics of the current emission delay in correlation with the charge transferred by the beam has been analyzed. The cathode surface morphology was checked with SEM.