Analysis of the dependence of the microwave generation power of a low-voltage vircator on controlling parameters

The results of experimental and theoretical analysis of the dependence of the generation power of a low-voltage vircator, viz., a nonrelativistic electrovacuum device based on a high-intensity electron beam with a virtual cathode, on the values of controlling parameters are considered. The dependences of the generation power on the decelerating potential and on the beam current are analyzed.     

Nonlinear dynamics of a generator on a virtual cathode with modulated emission

A numerical study of a low-voltage vircator with controlled emissions from a thermocathode is performed for when an external signal effects on the electron beam and modulates the emission. The strong influence of the modulation parameters on characteristics of oscillations of the beam with virtual cathode is noted. It is shown that when the modulation frequency is tuned to the one of harmonics of a virtual cathode’s free oscillations, there is a considerable increase in the power of high-frequency harmonics of the virtual cathode’s free oscillations in the output spectrum.     

Power of microwave generation in an ultrarelativistic electron beam in the regime of virtual cathode formation in an externally applied magnetic field

A numerical study of the output power characteristics of microwave radiation from a relativistic electron beam (REB) with a virtual cathode in the presence of externally applied longitudinal magnetic field is performed. Typical dependences of the output microwave power of the relativistic vircator system on the external magnetic field strength are obtained, showing a number of local maxima. It is found that the characteristic behavior of the radiation power is determined by the conditions and mechanisms of virtual cathode formation in the presence of external longitudinal magnetic field and a self-magnetic REB field.     

Chaotization of the virtual cathode oscillations in the external magnetic field created by a ring magnet

The physical mechanisms leading to the chaotization of the virtual cathode oscillations in a low-voltage vircator system at an increase in the amplitude of the external inhomogeneous magnetic field created by a ring magnet have been studied within a two-dimensional numerical model. It has been established that the chaotization of the virtual cathode oscillations in a strongly inhomogeneous external magnetic field is due to the formation of the secondary electronic structure (electron beam) in the electron flow resulting from the magnetic trap in the outer layers of the electron beam.     

新型虚阴极振荡器的研究

 采用小信号理论，在考虑到透射、反射束电子不同作用下，分析了虚阴极振荡器产生微波的机制，获得了计算微波主频的方法，讨论了增强束波作用效率的方法，并提出一种新型结构的虚阴极振荡器。该振荡器的阳极后放置了一个谐振腔，谐振腔长度很小，虚阴极不能在其中形成，谐振腔受到反射电子束激励并建立强场，场对入射电子进行调制，同时采用同轴结构引出微波。利用2.5D PIC 程序对新型的结构进行了数值模拟，验证了理论分析的正确性。在入射电子束电子能量为520keV和电子束流12.5kA的条件下，获得微波平均功率为1GW，频率为3.66GHz，平均束波转换效率为15.3%。     

Optimization of the parameters of a virtual-cathode oscillator with an inhomogeneous magnetic field

A two-dimensional numerical model is used to study the generation of powerful microwave radiation in a vircator with an inhomogeneous magnetic field applied to focus a beam. The characteristics of the external inhomogeneous magnetic field are found to strongly affect the vircator generation characteristics. Mathematical optimization is used to search for the optimum parameters of the magnetic periodic focusing system of the oscillator in order to achieve the maximum power of the output microwave radiation. The dependences of the output vircator power on the characteristics of the external inhomogeneous magnetic field are studied near the optimum control parameters. The physical processes that occur in optimized virtual cathode oscillators are investigated.     

Influence of positive ions on oscillatory processes in an electron beam with virtual cathode

We numerically simulate the influence of positive ions on characteristics of the microwave oscillations in a nonrelativistic electron beam with the virtual cathode formed in a decelerating field (low-voltage vircator). A numerical scheme allowing for ionization of a residual gas by an electron flow is proposed. It is shown that the residual-gas ionization in the operating chamber of a low-voltage vircator leads to a forcing of the virtual cathode out of the transit gap and to a cutoff of microwave oscillations. The obtained numerical data are confirmed by an experimental study using a low-voltage vircator model. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 49, No. 10, pp. 853–863, October 2006.     

一种高阻抗,低束流虚阴极器件的研制

基于虚阴极微波发生器的原理,设计一种特殊的高阻抗、低束流Vircator的实验装置,并结合理论研究对该实验系统的各种参量进行了数值计算与分析,实验测试结果与理论设计计算吻合,在3cm频段获得的输出功率≥20MW。     

Characteristics of generation in a chain of unidirectionally coupled low-voltage vircators

The output power of generation in a chain of unidirectionally coupled low-voltage vircators upon variation in controlling parameters of a system is studied. It is shown that at a certain set of controlling parameters, the output power of the generator chain grows sharply. Physical processes occurring in the system are analyzed by plotting space-time diagrams of the motion of charged particles of the electron flow with a virtual cathode. The obtained results are in good agreement with the data from a previous experimental study on signal amplification in a low-voltage vircator.     

Theoretical and experimental analysis of the microwave radiation power of a generator on a virtual cathode subjected to external harmonic exposure

Analytical, numerical, and experimental investigations of the output power of a generator are performed on a virtual cathode under the effect of an external harmonic signal. It is shown theoretically that an increase in the power of the external effect leads to an increase in the output power of a nonautonomous oscillator. The results from our theoretical analysis are in good agreement with the results from a pilot study.     

Resonant cavity vircator driven by a thermionic cathode electronbeam gun

A resonant cavity vircator (virtual cathode oscillator) driven by an electron beam emitted from a broad-area thermionic cathode is tested. Narrow-bandwidth (1.0 MHz at the -3 dB level) excitation of the TM₀₂₃ mode of a cylindrical resonant cavity is observed at a frequency of 986 MHz with a pulselength of 1.2 μs. The single-cavity-mode excitation is attributed to the constant-voltage and -current electron beam emitted from the thermionic cathode     

On the mechanism of occurrence of chaotic dynamics in a vacuum microwave generator with a virtual cathode

The nonlinear dynamics of an electron beam with a virtual cathode in a transit-current vircator system is numerically studied. The existence of complex modes, including chaotic ones, is shown. The physical processes in the electron beam are examined. It is found that the chaotic dynamics in an electron beam with a virtual cathode is due to the nonlinear interaction between the structures organized in it. “College,” State Education and Scientific Center of the State University, Saratov, Russia. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 41, No. 9, pp. 1137–1146, September, 1998.     

虚阴极振荡器中微波产生的解析理论

 用解析方法研究了虚阴极振荡器中微波产生的机理, 给出了小信号增益公式和饱和功率的标度。由此得到的结论是: 虚阴极振荡器的辐射一般情况下是由相位受到RF场调制的从虚阴极反射的电子束流产生的, 当注入电流稍大于第一临界电流时，有最高辐射增益区，但反射电流较小；当注入电流稍大于第二临界电流时，有较高辐射增益区，反射电流也较大。     

Dynamics of an electron beam with a virtual cathode in a vircator without a magnetic field and with drift space filled by neutral gas

The physical processes in a vircator without an external magnetic field and with a drift space filled by neutral gas are studied. Three typical dynamic regimes are found: (1) the suppression of virtual cathode oscillations, (2) pulse generation, in which the suppression and resumption of virtual cathode oscillations are observed, and (3) continuous virtual cathode generation. The frequency dynamics of the vircator’s output radiation is investigated for the last case, and it is shown that the generation frequency of the vircator can rise when the gas pressure exceeds a certain critical value.     

同轴虚阴极微波输出模式分析

 对不同透过率的阳极网进行实验研究，得到了主频为3.4 GHz和3.7 GHz的辐射微波，对同轴虚阴极内的电子束分布进行了分析。对同轴虚阴极内的本征模式进行了计算，并与实验结果进行比较。实验结果表明：网内电子束的分布对微波输出模式有重要影响；同轴虚阴极微波频率是阴阳极间距及谐振腔共同作用的结果；阳极网透过率对频率有显著影响，透过率越高，则微波频率相应提高。     

Super-reltron theory and experiments

A highly efficient, high-power microwave tube called super-reltron is reported. The authors have achieved operation at >400 MW with ~50% efficiency at 1 GHz, and 250 MW with 40% efficiency at 3 GHz. The RF pulse durations are typically a few hundred nanoseconds. These compact lightweight tubes do not require an external magnetic field. The RF output coupling is straightforward and delivers the power directly via the fundamental TE₁₀ wave in a rectangular waveguide without a mode converter. The key features of the tube include (i) generation of a well-modulated electron beam by periodic virtual cathode formation, (ii) postacceleration of the modulated beam to reduce the relative electron energy spread, and (iii) a multicavity output section that efficiently extracts power without RF breakdown. Various theoretical aspects of the device are discussed and the experimental results are summarized     

粒子模拟中阳极栅网模型的实现

在3维Yee网格和蛙跳模型上建立了一种合理的描述阳极栅网中电子散射过程的物理模型,在经典碰撞理论基础上推导了散射角和动量公式,并运用蒙特卡罗法模拟了高斯分布电子束在径向虚阴极情景下的阳极栅网散射过程。模拟结果出现了明显的虚阴极现象,平均功率0.60GW,虚阴极效率4.5%,微波主频4.7GHz,主模是TM01模。这些参数与文献模拟的数据基本符合,证明了虚阴极中阳极栅网数值模拟实现的正确性。     

Numerical study of chaotic oscillations in the electron beam with virtual cathode in the external non-uniform magnetic fields

In this Letter the results of theoretical investigations of the chaotic microwave oscillator based on the electron beam with a virtual cathode are presented. Nonlinear non-stationary processes in these electron systems are studied by means of numerical analysis of 2.5D model. It was discovered that the non-uniform external magnetic field value controls the dynamical regime of oscillations in the virtual cathode oscillator. The processes of the chaotization of output microwave radiation are described and interpreted from the point of view of the formation and interaction of electron structures (bunches) in the electron beams. The numerical results have shown that the investigated electron system with virtual cathode could be considered as a promising controlled source of wideband chaotic oscillations in the microwave range.     

同轴虚阴极振荡器实验研究

 介绍了中国工程物理研究院应用电子学研究所关于同轴虚阴极振荡器实验的最新进展。实验结果表明，带阳极反射板结构的同轴虚阴极振荡器比不带阳极反射板结构的同轴虚阴极振荡器输出微波功率更高，频谱更纯。在二极管电压350 kV，电流23 kA条件下，输出微波峰值功率500 MW，能量转换效率约6.2%，工作频率为3.3 GHz。对实验结果进行了理论分析。     

The processes of formation and nonstationary dynamics of a virtual cathode in a nonrelativistic electron beam in the decelerating field (two-dimensional approximation)

We present the results of studies within the framework of a two-dimensional numerical model of nonlinear nonstationary processes in a nonrelativistic electron beam in the mode of formation of a virtual cathode in the decelerating field without focusing of the electrons by a magnetic field (low-voltage vircator). The results of numerical simulation were qualitatively confirmed by the experiment. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 49, No. 10, pp. 843–852, October 2006.