Patent Number: 046577220
Section: summary

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The ion accelerator of this invention has the usual cathode, and an anode that includes a target. The portion of the anode closest to the cathode has a tubular graphite portion whose entrance end (the end closest to the cathode) flares outwardly. A conducting diaphragm supports the tubular graphite portion. The diaphragm is connected to a grounded ring, located further downstream, by a series of resistive wires that are parallel to the center-line of the beam. A targer is further downstream. The beam of electrons from the cathode to the target passes along said center-line. As the beam leaves the cathode electrons liberated from atoms enter the beam and the remainder of the atoms form positive ions. As these liberated electrons accelerate toward the target they leave behind said positive ions which produce a positive potential trough. This positive potential trough turns electrons in the beam toward the center-line of the beam thereby increasing the electron density of the beam, and a complementary negative potential trough is formed. The negative potential trough concentrates the positive ions into a cluster and causes them to accelerate with the beam toward the target. Each ion of this cluster of positive ions has such a large velocity and kinetic energy that when it strikes the target, which is made of lead or other material having a mass number greater than 70, the impact produces sub-nuclear products such as mesons, neutrons, neutrinos, and hadrons.