S. A. Kurkin

Microwave radiation power of relativistic electron beam with virtual cathode in the external magnetic field

The study of the output power of the electromagnetic radiation of the relativistic electron beam (REB) with virtual cathode in the presence of external magnetic field has been found out. The typical dependencies of the output microwave power of the vircator versus external magnetic field have been analyzed by means of 3D electromagnetic simulation. It has been shown that the power of vircator demonstrates several maxima with external magnetic field growth. The characteristic features of the power behavior are determined by the conditions of the virtual cathode formation in the presence of the external transversal magnetic field and the REB self-magnetic fields.

Effect of self-magnetic fields on the nonlinear dynamics of relativistic electron beam with virtual cathode

The report is devoted to the results of the numerical study of the virtual cathode (VC) formation conditions in the relativistic electron beam (REB) under the influence of the self-magnetic and external axial magnetic fields. The azimuthal instability of the relativistic electron beam leading to the formation of the vortex electron structure in the system was found out. This instability is determined by the influence of the self-magnetic fields of the relativistic electron beam, and it leads to the decrease of the critical value of the electron beam current (current when the non-stationary virtual cathode is formed in the drift space). The typical dependencies of the critical current on the external uniform magnetic field value were discovered. The effect of the beam thickness on the virtual cathode formation conditions was also analyzed.

Higher harmonics generation in relativistic electron beam with virtual cathode

The study of the microwave generation regimes with intense higher harmonics taking place in a high-power vircator consisting of a relativistic electron beam with a virtual cathode has been made. The characteristics of these regimes, in particular, the typical spectra and their variations with the change of the system parameters (beam current, the induction of external magnetic field) as well as physical processes occurring in the system have been analyzed by means of 3D electromagnetic simulation. It has been shown that the system under study demonstrates the tendency to the sufficient growth of the amplitudes of higher harmonics in the spectrum of current oscillations in the VC region with the increase of beam current. The obtained results allow us to consider virtual cathode oscillators as promising high power mmw-to-THz sources.

Chaotic oscillations in electron beam with virtual cathode in external magnetic field

This article presents the results of a numerical study of external magnetic field influence on the conditions and mechanisms of virtual cathode (VC) formation in a relativistic electron beam. It also considers other related issues, e.g. peculiarities of nonlinear dynamics of electron beam with VC under changed external magnetic field, different mechanisms of VC oscillation chaotisation leading to complication of vircator system dynamics and appearance of multi-frequency VC oscillations. General systemic mechanism of VC oscillation chaotisation has been identified which is connected with formation of electronic patterns in electron beam whose interaction in the common field of spatial charge determines appearance of additional inner feedback. Transition from chaotic to periodical oscillation regime is found to be connected with destroying the mechanism of secondary electronic structures (electron bunches) formation. Besides, the influence of extent of screening of electron gun from magnetic field is discussed.

High-power microwave amplifier based on overcritical relativistic electron beam without external magnetic field

The high-power scheme for the amplification of powerful microwave signals based on the overcritical electron beam with a virtual cathode (virtual cathode amplifier) has been proposed and investigated numerically. General output characteristics of the virtual cathode amplifier including the dependencies of the power gain on the input signal frequency and amplitude have been obtained and analyzed. The possibility of the geometrical working frequency tuning over the range about 8%–10% has been shown. The obtained results demonstrate that the proposed virtual cathode amplifier scheme may be considered as the perspective high-power microwave amplifier with gain up to 18 dB, and with the following important advantages: the absence of external magnetic field, the simplicity of construction, the possibility of geometrical frequency tuning, and the amplification of relatively powerful microwave signals.

The development and interaction of instabilities in intense relativistic electron beams

We report on the physical mechanisms of development, coexistence and interaction of Pierce-Bursian and diocotron instabilities in the non-neutral relativistic electron beam (REB) in the classic vircator. The analytical and numerical analysis is provided by means of 3D electromagnetic simulation. We conducted an extensive study of characteristic regimes of REB dynamics determined by the instabilities development. As a result, a regime map has been obtained. It demonstrates sequential switching of the REB dynamics from the regime with N=1 to the regime with N = 7 electron bunches in the azimuth direction with the beam current growth for the different external magnetic fields. The numerical analysis of bunch equilibrium states has identified the physical causes responsible for the REB regime switchings.

Output microwave radiation power of low-voltage vircator with external inhomogeneous magnetic field

Dependence of the power of a broadband microwave radiation generated by a low-voltage oscillator with virtual cathode (vircator) on the parameters of an external inhomogeneous magnetic field has been studied by numerical simulations using a two-dimensional model. It is established that there are optimum parameters of the generator (configuration of the external magnetic field, electron beam current) for which the output radiation power is maximum. A relationship between the optimum conditions of virtual cathode formation in the electron beam and the microwave generation regime is established.

Virtual cathode formation in annular electron beam in an external magnetic field

The conditions of virtual cathode (VC) formation in an annular electron beam in the presence of an external focusing magnetic field have been studied by means of numerical simulation within the framework of a two-dimensional model. The dependences of a critical beam current (at which the VC is formed) on the magnetic field and of the optimum field (at which the critical current is minimal) on the beam geometry are determined. The optimum magnetic field depends on the Brillouin field value.

Nonlinear dynamics and chaotization of oscillations of a virtual cathode in an annular electron beam in a uniform external magnetic field

Results are presented from a numerical study of the effect of an external magnetic field on the conditions and mechanisms for the formation of a virtual cathode in a relativistic electron beam. Characteristic features of the nonlinear dynamics of an electron beam with a virtual cathode are considered when the external magnetic field is varied. Various mechanisms are investigated by which the virtual cathode oscillations become chaotic and their spectrum becomes a multifrequency spectrum, thereby complicating the dynamics of the vircator system. A general mechanism for chaotization of the oscillations of a virtual cathode in a vircator system is revealed: the electron structures that form in an electron beam interact by means of a common space charge field to give rise to additional internal feedback. That the oscillations of a virtual cathode change from the chaotic to the periodic regime is due to the suppression of the mechanism for forming secondary electron structures.

Beam-plasma instability in charged plasma in the absence of ions

In the present work we have studied the novel nonlinear phenomenon of plasma physics - beam-plasma instability in a charged plasma in the absence of ions. We have shown the possibility of the instability development and analyzed the characteristics of physical processes taking place during the beam-plasma interaction.