ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the synergies between accelerators, lasers and plasma. It also discusses the topic of beam, light pulse and plasma wave creation in the create, energize, manipulate and interact sequence. The simplest form of an electron source is the thermal cathode gun. According to the "three-halves power" law, the space charge effects of the non-relativistic accelerated electron beam often limit the current in electron guns. Plasma in ion sources can be created by various means such as ionization via laser. In this example, the laser beam is focused by a metal mirror on a target, ionizing the target and producing plasma. The ions of plasma are then directed to the extraction electrodes via a hole in the mirror. Analogies between light and beam optics, as well as mechanical analogies, can help to build up an intuitive understanding of complex phenomena. The chapter describes scientific or technical inventions using the TRIZ and AS-TRIZ approaches.
