Diode compression of an intense relativistic electron beam

Abstract
Experiments are reported on the compression of an intense relativistic electron beam. The compression is aided by an externally driven current flow along the axis of the diode. It is found that the compressions achieved with the externally driven axial ’’wire’’ current are limited by the magnitude of the externally driven current and are substantially less than those obtained from the self-pinching of an e-beam from a low-impedance generator.