Limiting current of intense electron beams in a decelerating gap
Abstract
For numerous applications, it is desirable to develop electron beam driven efficient sources of electromagnetic radiation that are capable of producing the required power at beam voltages as low as possible. This trend is limited by space charge effects that cause the reduction of electron kinetic energy and can lead to electron reflection. So far, this effect was analyzed for intense beams propagating in uniform metallic pipes. In the present study, the limiting currents of intense electron beams are analyzed for the case of beam propagation in the tubes with gaps. A general treatment is illustrated by an example evaluating the limiting current in a high-power, tunable 1–10 MHz inductive output tube (IOT), which is currently under development for ionospheric modification. Results of the analytical theory are compared to results of numerical simulations. The results obtained allow one to estimate the interaction efficiency of IOTs.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 2016
- Source ID
- 10.1063/1.4942175
Entities
People
- B. L. Beaudoin
- Callie M Thompson
- G. S. Nusinovich
- Jayakrishnan A. Karakkad
- T. M. Antonsen Jr.
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- University of Maryland