Simulation of an Axial Vircator

TL;DR

This paper presents a particle-in-cell simulation algorithm for designing axial vircators, enabling stable modeling of virtual cathode dynamics and electromagnetic fields, with potential for improved accuracy and generalization to non-symmetric modes.

Contribution

The paper introduces a corrected particle-in-cell simulation method specifically tailored for axial vircator design, enhancing stability and accuracy in modeling nonlinear virtual cathode phenomena.

Findings

Stable simulation of virtual cathode formation achieved.

Correction methods improve agreement with experimental data.

Method can be extended to non-symmetric modes.

Abstract

An algorithm of particle-in-cell simulations is described and tested to aid further the actual design of simple vircators working on axially symmetric modes. The methods of correction of the numerical solution, have been chosen and jointly tested, allow the stable simulation of the fast nonlinear multiflow dynamics of virtual cathode formation and evolution, as well as the fields generated by the virtual cathode. The selected combination of the correction methods can be straightforwardly generalized to the case of axially nonsymmetric modes, while the parameters of these correction methods can be widely used to improve an agreement between the simulation predictions and the experimental data.