Methods of Laser Shadow Photography with Recording by Streak Camera to Study Plasma Dynamics in the Diode of a Relativistic Electron Beam Generator

Diagnostics of the dynamics of dense pulsed plasma by the method of shadow laser probing at a wavelength of 540 nm is described. The duration of the laser pulse significantly exceeded the characteristic times of the processes in the diode. Shadow images were recorded using streak camera. This diagnostics in its various modifications was used to record the dynamics of the plasma in the diode gap of the generator of a high-current relativistic electron beam formed by its interaction with a massive anode with a thickness of 10–35 mm. The use of such diagnostics made it possible to register the movement of the boundaries of plasma formations with a concentration of N e ~ 10 18 cm –3 and to recover a one-dimensional picture of the movement of the electrode plasma.