Design and Simulation of a Mega-Watt Class Nonrelativistic Magnetron

Numerical simulations of a prototype conventional magnetron capable of an RF output power exceeding 1.0 MW are presented. Magnetron design evaluation is carried out via numerical simulation using the 3-D Improved Concurrent Electromagnetic Particle-in-Cell code. The magnetron was capable of oscillating in the π mode with little mode competition at 655 MHz over a range of magnetic fields extending from B = 0.186 to B = 0.261 T and voltages ranging from 40 to 64 kV. RF Output power ranged from 400 kW to 2.1 MW over these voltages with efficiencies typically at 60%. RF power propagation upstream was identified as a major source of loss in the design.