Propagation of Pinched Electron Beams for Pellet Fusion

We present results which are encouraging for a multibeam approach to relativistic-electron-beam-induced pellet fusion. A self-pinched relativistic electron beam with nominal parameters of 1.1 MV, 200 kA, and 5-mm radius has been propagated at atmospheric pressure over distances of up to 1 m. Gross beam stability and reasonable energy transport efficiency have been achieved. A simple Alfvén-type calculation corroborates the propagation result, and a self-consistent particle simulation indicates the possibility of scaling to very high-$\frac{\nu }{\gamma }$ beams.