Method and device for spatial charged particle bunching
A charged particle buncher includes a series of spaced apart electrodes arranged to generate a shaped electric field. The series includes a first electrode, a last electrode and one- or more intermediate electrodes. The charged particle buncher includes a waveform device attached to the electrodes and configured to apply a periodic potential waveform to each electrode independently in a manner so as to form a quasi-electrostatic time varying potential gradient between adjacent electrodes and to cause spatial distribution of charged particles that form a plurality of nodes and antinodes. The nodes have a charged particle density and the antinodes have substantially no charged particle density, and the nodes and the antinodes are formed from a charged particle beam configured to hit the target.
1. An apparatus comprising:
a series of electrodes arranged to generate a shaped electric field; and
a waveform device attached to the electrodes and configured to apply a periodic potential waveform to each electrode independently in a manner so as to form a quasi-electrostatic time varying potential gradient between adjacent electrodes and to spatially distribute charged particles propagating along the series of electrodes and to form a particle beam comprising a plurality of bunches spaced from one another, wherein the bunches have a non-zero particle density and spaces between the bunches have substantially zero particle density.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the particle beam has a beam current greater than 0.01 ampere per bunch.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the particle beam has between 1 and 7,000,000 particles per bunch.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the particle beam is configured to impinge a target surface.
5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the particle beam has a beam current greater than or equal to 1,000 amperes per square centimeter at the target surface.
6. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the particle beam has a particle beam flux greater than 6.24×10 16 particles per bunch at the target surface.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , further configured to adjust a longitudinal spacing between the bunches.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the longitudinal spacing is periodic.
9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the longitudinal spacing is harmonic.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 , further configured to be used in beam weapons applications.
11. The apparatus of claim 1 , further configured to be used in scanning and/or imaging applications.
12. The apparatus of claim 1 , further configured to be used in metrology and/or spectroscopic analysis applications.
13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the quasi-electrostatic time varying potential gradient has a frequency between 1 MHz and 100 GHz.
14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the particle beam has an energy in a range of 500 keV to 500 MeV.
15. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising means for deflecting the charged particles.
16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the means for deflecting the charged particles is configured to spatially focus the particle beam.
17. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the means for deflecting the charged particles is selected from the group consisting of: one or more deflection electrodes, one or more magnetic lenses, one or more reflective optics, one or more focusing optics.
18. The apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising means for neutralizing the charged particles.
19. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a collimator configured to collimate and direct the particle beam at accelerating potentials between 5 keV and 30 keV.
20. An apparatus comprising:
a beam source configured to generate a particle beam;
a beam buncher configured to spatially distribute particles of the particle beam to form a plurality of bunches, wherein the bunches have a non-zero particle density and spaces between the bunches have substantially no particle density; and
optical components configured to collimate, deflect, and direct the particles at accelerating potentials between 5 keV and 30 keV.
21. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the particle beam has a beam current greater than 0.01 ampere per node.
22. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the particle beam is configured to impinge a target surface with a particle beam flux greater than 6.24×10 16 particles per bunch at the target surface.
23. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the particle beam has between 1 and 7,000,000 particles per bunch.
24. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the beam buncher and the optical components are configured to adjust a longitudinal spacing between the bunches.
25. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the optical components are configured to spatially focus the particle beam.
26. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the optical components are configured to direct the particle beam towards a target surface.
27. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the optical components include one or more deflection electrodes, one or more magnetic lenses, one or more reflective optics, and/or one or more focusing optics.
28. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the particle beam has an energy in a range of 500 keV to 500 MeV.
29. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the optical components are configured to direct the particle beam onto a target.
30. The apparatus of claim 29 , wherein the target comprises a military target.
31. The apparatus of claim 29 , wherein the target comprises a portion of the Earth's atmosphere.
32. The apparatus of claim 29 , wherein the target comprises a portion of free space.
33. The apparatus of claim 29 , wherein the optical components are configured to scan the target by a vector scan methodology.
34. The apparatus of claim 29 , wherein the optical components are configured to scan the target by a vector-raster scan methodology.
35. The apparatus of claim 29 , wherein the optical components are configured to scan the target by a raster scan methodology.