A range-based method to calibrate a magnetic spectrometer measuring the energy spectrum of the backward electron beam of a plasma focus

Abstract

The electron beam emitted from the back of plasma focus devices is being studied as a radiation source for intraoperative radiation therapy applications. A plasma focus device is being developed for this purpose, and there is a need for characterizing its electron beam, particularly, insofar as the energy spectrum is concerned. The instrument used is a magnetic spectrometer. To calibrate this spectrometer, a procedure relying on the energy-range relation in Mylar® has been devised and applied. By measuring the transmission through increasing thicknesses of the material, electron energies could be assessed and compared to the spectrometer readings. Thus, the original calibration of the instrument has been extended to higher energies and also to better accuracy. Methods and results are presented.