SCATTER - a new computer code for modeling reflected electrons from surfaces

Calabazas Creek Research, Inc. is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy to develop an advanced charged particle code using adaptive meshing. One of the tasks in that program is to model secondary and reflected electrons in collectors. The Center for Research in Scientific Computing (CRSC) received a subcontract to develop a 3D Monte Carlo technique for modeling these electrons. Taking into account the energy and direction of an incident electron, as well as the atomic number, atomic mass and density of the solid, the program calculates a statistically reasonable path for the electron through the solid via Monte Carlo techniques. When applied to large numbers of electrons, the algorithm provides statistically accurate results. The success of the effort resulted in a stand-alone code that could be use to investigate the effect of various materials and coatings to reduce the emission and there by achieve higher depressed collector efficiencies.