Fast rise time X-ray pre-ionization source using a corona plasma cathode

Abstract

X-ray pulses with rise times shorter than 10 ns and high peak power have been generated using a corona plasma cathode as a fast low-inductance switch. The X-ray generator has been developed as a pre-ionization source for a XeCl laser system and can be used at a repetition rate of a few hundred hertz. A technique to determine the electron density produced by the pre-ionizer is also described.