Focal spot size predictions for beam transport through a gas-filled reactor

Results from calculations of focal spot size for beam transport through a gas-filled reactor are summarized. In the converging beam mode, we find an enlargement of the focal spot due to multiple scattering and zeroth order self-field effects. This enlargement can be minimized by maintaining small reactors together with a careful choice of the gaseous medium. The self-focused mode, on the other hand, is relatively insensitive to the reactor environment, but is critically dependent upon initial beam quality. This requirement on beam quality can be significantly eased by the injection of an electron beam of modest current from the opposite wall.