Study of e-Beam Propagation in the Ionosphere and Magnetosphere.
Abstract
A two-dimensional (r, E) Monte Carlo electron transport model has been developed to study the energy deposition and spreading of kilovolt electron beams in the ionosphere. MCBE is the name of the computer code incorporating the model. The beam electrons scatter and lose energy through particle-particle interactions. These processes are treated by applying the Goudsmit-Saunder multiple scattering formula and assuming energy loss is continuous. Results have been obtained for several beam energies and some have been compared to the results of Berger, et al. (1970). We obtain excellent agreement in the altitude profile of energy deposition, but poor agreement in spreading. We find there to be less spreading along with a weaker dependence of this spreading on the starting beam electron energy. An analytic model has been developed to test the numerical results and contains the magnitude and weak dependence on beam energy of the observed spreading. This model has now been published with a copy of the reprint appearing at the end of this report. Another aspect of the work has been to investigate the effect of plasma turbulence on beam propagation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1983
- Accession Number
- ADA142206
Entities
People
- D. J. Strickland
- Dong Lin
- H. W. Bloomberg