skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: A one-dimensional model illustrating virtual-cathode formation in a novel coaxial virtual-cathode oscillator

Journal Article · · Physics of Plasmas
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4895500· OSTI ID:22303653
 [1]
  1. Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, PO Box 395, Pretoria 0001 (South Africa)

A one-dimensional electrostatic sheet model of a coaxial geometry Virtual Cathode Oscillator (VCO) is presented. The cathode is centrally located and connects to a peripherally located plate electrode to form a resonant cavity, and is thus considered to be a novel design. Charge is modelled as concentric sheets about the cathode whose absolute position and velocity are determined as a function of time by solving the relativistic equations of motion. The model predicts the formation of a virtual cathode between the grid and plate electrodes for the case of a space-charge limited current. Setting the electron reflexing frequency (as a function of the grid potential) comparable with the cavity resonant frequency is predicted to improve the efficiency of microwave emission.

OSTI ID:
22303653
Journal Information:
Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 21, Issue 9; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English