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Title: Child-Langmuir flow with periodically varying anode voltage

Journal Article · · Physics of Plasmas
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4913351· OSTI ID:22408079
 [1]
  1. Department of Mathematics, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854-8019 (United States)

Using the Lagrangian technique, we study settled Child-Langmuir flows in a one dimensional planar diodes whose anode voltages periodically vary around given positive values. Our goal is to find analytically if the average currents in these systems can exceed the famous Child-Langmuir limit found for the stationary current a long time ago. The main result of our study is that in a periodic quasi-stationary regime the average current can be larger than the Child-Langmuir maximum even by 50% compared with its adiabatic average value. The cathode current in this case has the form of rectangular pulses which are formed by a very special triangular voltage modulation. This regime, i.e., periodicity, shape of pulses, and their amplitude, needs to be carefully chosen for the best performance.

OSTI ID:
22408079
Journal Information:
Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 22, Issue 2; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English