Performances of Velvet Cathodes With Different Geometries in a Reflex Triode Vircator

Postaci E., Erciyas H., Atmaca N. Y. A., Akman O., Nesil S., Yayil F., ...More

IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PLASMA SCIENCE, vol.48, no.10, pp.3565-3572, 2020 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 48 Issue: 10
  • Publication Date: 2020
  • Doi Number: 10.1109/tps.2020.3025351
  • Journal Name: IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PLASMA SCIENCE
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, Aerospace Database, Applied Science & Technology Source, Business Source Elite, Business Source Premier, Communication Abstracts, Compendex, Computer & Applied Sciences, INSPEC, Metadex, Civil Engineering Abstracts
  • Page Numbers: pp.3565-3572
  • Keywords: Cathodes, Microwave measurement, Frequency measurement, Anodes, Geometry, Microwave imaging, Microwave oscillators, Cathode, explosive electron emission, high power microwaves (HPMs), microwave generation, reflex triode, velvet, vircator, virtual cathode oscillator, ANODE
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

A frequency tunable vircator, which has the reflex triode geometry, was designed and experimentally tested. The cloth velvet was used as the cathode material. The planar and the Ernst-profiled velvet cathodes, which have diameters of 40, 50, 60, and 70 mm, were used in the experiments. The electric field strength values and the corresponding frequencies of the radiated microwave were measured and analyzed for each of the cathodes. The anode-cathode distances between 4 and 16 mm were swept in the experiments. The planar cathodes display larger electric field strength values, whereas the Ernst-profiled cathodes have wider frequency ranges. The characteristics of the velvet, such as tuft density and fiber dimensions, were investigated in detail using scanning electron microscope images. The condition of the vacuum was also observed during shots.