ABSTRACT
Recently the initiation of organic explosives by nanosecond electron pulses has been studied actively [1-5]. The most examined is PETN ( 5 8 4 12C H N O ). The critical energy density of an electron beam W*, which leads to the initiation of PETN in the area of the absorption of the electron beam, is 15 J/cm2 at the initial energy of electrons 2500 =E keV . The time of delay at the current energy density is around 3.45 ms [2]. The energy, released in the area of electron beam absorption, is not enough for the detonation of the rest of a sample. The detonation of PETN takes place while the absorption of the electron beam, which energy density is ~ 60DW 2J/cm and 4500 =E keV [3]. The detonation of PETN, glued to a copper plate, occurs at W*~15 J/cm2 and electron energy 2500 =E keV . [4]. The detonation spreads from the boundary “explosive metal” to the area of electron beam absorption. A negative charge is known to induce a positive one in a subsurface layer. That causes mirror force, which naturally accelerates electrons. Nowadays there are two points of view on the mechanism of PETN initiation by the electron beam: the electric discharge model [5] and the thermal model [2, 6]. Thus, If PETN detonation can be caused by electric breakdown then the direction of its propagation contradicts to the experiment described in article [4].
