Generalized Model for Magnetically Insulated Transmission Line Flow

A generalized fluid model is developed for electron flow in a magnetically insulated transmission line (MITL). By including electron pressure in the fluid model and allowing nonzero values of the electric field at the cathode, the model can treat both emission and retrapping of flow electrons. For the first time, a direct derivation of the space-charge correction term in the flow equations is also obtained by identifying a new condition at the boundary of the electron layer. Also, a free parameter in the model is chosen so that previously derived MITL flow equations are recovered when the electric field at the cathode is taken to zero; consequently, recent equilibrium MITL rescaling results still apply. Generalized MITL flow equations are derived from the model and solutions presented. These new equations form the basis for a description of the dynamic MITL flow.