1. TECHNICAL APPROACH AND
LEADING EDGE NATURE OF WORK
Presently the most successful and simplest
electron diode for flash radiography is the Self Magnetic
Pinch (SMP) diode extensively studied at Sandia. A stable
diode operation at 8-10 MV accelerating voltage is
achieved with a cathode tip diameter and an Anode-
Cathode (A-K) gap which are a few cm in size. A small
beam spot size on the Ta x-ray converter is routinely