Collective Effects in the Formation and Acceleration of Electron Rings.

Dense hollow rotating relativistic electron beams are studied that are used for accelerating ions in an electron ring accelerator. Considered is the problem of forming a ring by axial compression of a long beam in a static magnetic field. The second section assumes that an electron ring has been formed and loaded with ions. An analysis is then made of the nonequilibrium processes of moving the ion loaded ring out of a magnetic mirror and accelerating it in an expanding magnetic field.