Three-dimensional simulation of helix traveling wave tubes
- Naval Research Lab., Washington, DC (United States)
The authors present a three-dimensional nonlinear formulation and simulation of a helix traveling wave tube (TWT) using a sheath helix model. The simulation is capable of treating both DC and pulsed electron beams as well as single-frequency or multi-tone operation. The model relies upon a spectral decomposition of the electromagnetic fields in terms of the vacuum sheath helix polarizations. The field equations are integrated on a grid and advanced in time using a MacCormack predictor-corrector scheme, and the electron orbit equations are integrated using a fourth order Runge-Kutta algorithm. Charge is accumulated on the grid and the field is interpolated to the particle location by a linear map. Several numerical cases are considered. Simulation of the injection of a DC beam and a signal at a single frequency is compared with a linear field theory of the helix TWT interaction, and good agreement is found. Simulation of a prebunched beam is also discussed, and compared with an experiment at the Naval Research Laboratory.
- OSTI ID:
- 153824
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-950612-; ISBN 0-7803-2669-5; TRN: IM9602%%342
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 22. international conference on plasma science, Madison, WI (United States), 5-8 Jun 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of IEEE conference record -- abstracts: 1995 IEEE international conference on plasma science; PB: 312 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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