ICEPIC Simulation of a Strapped Nonrelativistic High-Power UHF Magnetron With a Transparent Cathode Operating in the Explosive Electron Emission Mode

The operation of a high-power nonrelativistic strapped ultra-high-frequency (UHF) multicavity magnetron with transparent cathode is simulated using the Improved Concurrent Electromagnetic Particle-in-Cell (ICEPIC) code. Results of the simulations are compared with simulations of the same magnetron with a solid cylindrical cathode. Both cathodes are explosive-emission electron sources that operate in the space-charge-limited mode of the electron extraction from the cathode. Simulations are part of an effort searching for methods and technologies that enable an increase of output microwave power of strapped nonrelativistic high-power UHF magnetrons by replacing thermionic direct-heated cathodes with a non-thermionic-emission cathode. Results of the simulations show that the anode current I_a and the output power P_out of the magnetron with the transparent cathode are higher than I_a and P_out of the same magnetron with a solid cathode. At the same time, the electronic efficiency η_e of the magnetron with the transparent cathode is less, and the startup time t_s is shorter than η_e and t_s of the magnetron with the solid cathode.