Feasibility study of axially- extracted virtual cathode oscillator

Abstract

In this paper, we have analyzed the design parameters of the axially - extracted virtual cathode oscillator, which is high-power microwave source based on the concept of the virtual cathode associated with the intense relativistic electrons beam oscillations in the electrostatic potential well. The microwave emission by the virtual cathode oscillator results from both the space and time oscillations of virtual cathode and reflexing electrons trapped in the potential well between the virtual and real cathodes. In the X-band frequency spectrum 700 MW microwave peak power has been obtained analytically by the solid electron beam of 300 kV and 20 kA for feasible design parameters. The analysis has been performed by 2-dimensional, relativistic, electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulation code XOOPIC. © 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.