Febetron accelerator

Almost all the work in pulse radiolysis is based on the use of three types of electron accelerators linear accelerators (linacs). Van de Graaff accelerators, and Febetrons. The first accelerator used by Keene at Manchester was a 4-MeV linac with pulses of 0.2-2 ps duration [47a] this was replaced in 1967 with an 8-12-MeV linac capable of delivering pulses from 5 ns to 5 ps duration [93]. Further improvements made to the Manchester system up to 1989 have been documented [93]. Similarly, the 13-MeV linac used at Argonne in 1960 by Matheson and Dorfman produced pulses of 0.4 to 5 ps duration [46], whereas in 1989 the equipment comprised a 20-MeV linac, capable of producing pulses from 25 ps to 10 ps duration, and a 3-MeV Van de Graaff accelerator, which is dedicated to EPR and magnetic resonance studies (see below) [95, 98]. 

Some experiments may require the use of different doses. Depending on the accelerator, this can be done by a change of the length of the pulse (if the experiment allows it), the focusing of the beam and/or the beam current. Alternatively, the amount of radiation that reaches the sample cell can be varied by means of scatter plates of variable thickness or, particularly with Febetrons, metal shields with holes of different sizes [105]. 

Pulsed Electron Accelerator. The very high intensity pulsed electron accelerator used was a 705 Febetron (Field Emission Corporation, McMinnville, Oregon, U.S.A.). This is nominally a 2 Mev. accelerator. Its mode of operation has been described previously (16). 

The radical reactions were initiated by irradiation of the gas mixtures in the cell with a 30 ns pulse of 2 MeV electrons from a Febetron 705B field emission accelerator. The irradiation dose was varied by inserting stainless steel attenuators between the accelerator and the cell. The doses are given relative to the maximum dose, which is set to unity. SFe was used as diluent gas and the experiments were carried out at a total pressure of 1 bar. The pulsed irradiation is used to rapidly (<1 ms) produce a high concentration (10 " - 3 x 10 cm" ) of radical species e.g. OH and F atoms. 

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