Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Microwave generator experiment at LLNL. [Virtual cathode oscillator (VIRCATOR)]

Conference ·
OSTI ID:6429959

A high power microwave oscillator known as a Virtual Cathode Oscillator (VIRCATOR) is described here. It is basically a space charge limited field emission cathode injecting electrons through a thin foil into a 4.3 cm radius circular waveguide. The total injected current forms a potential which exceeds the electron energy at which point a virtual cathode forms, and the electrons are reflected back across the foil. This occurs cyclically, coupling energy into TM/sub on/ waveguide modes. The frequency and power of the oscillations are very dependent on geometry and driving voltage. The VIRCATOR is presented here in two parts. First, the VIRCATOR theory and experiment setup is discussed, then numerical analysis of various VIRCATOR geometries is shown.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-48
OSTI ID:
6429959
Report Number(s):
UCRL-88737; CONF-830314-3; ON: DE83007348
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English