HIGH POWER MICROWAVE GENERATION FROM VIRTUAL

CATHODE OSCILLATOR (VIRCATOR)

6.1 HPM GENERATION FROM AXIAL VIRCATOR

KALI 1000 pulse power system has been used to generate HPM from axial vircator using the

planar diode described in the previous section. A vacuum explosive Emission Diode was used

to generate Intense Relativistic Electron Beam (IREB).The high voltage pulse

FIG. 6.1 Diode voltage and current waveform for 6 mm AK gap 70 mm diameter graphite cathode.

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generated from the pulse power system is applied to the field emission diode. The diode

consists of a planar graphite cathode (70 mm diameter) and copper anode mesh (240 mm

diameter) at various AK gaps and various voltage levels. A resistive CuSO4 Voltage Divider

and a self integrating Rogowski Coil were used to measure the diode voltage and current

pulses respectively. After the copper mesh anode flange, there is a axial virtual cathode

oscillator (vircator) chamber (length 25 cm, diameter 25 cm) for microwave generation. The

IREB is injected to the vircator chamber for HPM generation. In the VIRCATOR chamber, the

beam front forms a virtual cathode at a distance equal to the AK gap if the injected current is

greater than the space charge limiting current by four times .It is given by [6]

4πε o mo c 3 (γ 2 / 3 − 1)3 / 2 , (6.1)

where rb is the beam radius, R is the drift column radius, is the relativistic factor and e and m0

are the electron charge and rest mass respectively.

The virtual cathode reflects the electrons that follow the beam front. The electrons thus

oscillate between the cathode and virtual cathode which causes microwave emission. The

reflection frequency is given by

fr = v/4d, (6.2)

where v is the velocity of electrons and d the AK gap.

The virtual cathode oscillation frequency in GHz is given by

fvc = 10(J/ )1/2 , (6.3)

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where J is the current density in kA/cm2.

Scaling law derived from the two dimensional oscillation of the virtual cathode and can also be

derived from a harmonic one dimensional oscillator model of reflexing electrons.

4.77 1
, (6.4)
fs = ln[γ + (γ − 1) 2 ]
d

The frequency at which maximum power is emitted will be in between fr and fvc and the

emission is broadband.

FIG. 6.2 The temporal behavior of the diode perveance and impedance for 6 mm AK gap.

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A vacuum level of the order of < 5 × 10-5 mbar was maintained in the diode chamber as well as

the vircator chamber. High power microwave has been detected by neon lamp discharge by

HPM illumination when placed a few meter distances from the vircator window. Microwave

power has been optimized by changing the anode-cathode gap. It was found that the peak

power occur around 6 mm AK gap.

The diode voltage and current waveforms for 6 mm AK gap is shown in Fig. 6.1 As can be

seen from the Fig. 6.1 that the voltage rises to a peak ~ 325 kV and then suddenly decreased to

~150 kV. This voltage peak is due to the fact that the explosive emission cathode plasma

formation takes few ns time, during that time diode voltage rises to a peak as the pulse forming

line see an open circuit load. Electron beam diode time varying impedance and perveance

values were calculated using the voltage and current waveforms. The starting point or the zero

time for perveance calculations was taken when the voltage pulse started rising. The

experimental impedance and perveance derived from the diode voltage and current is shown in

Fig. 6.2. There is an initial plateau region in time where the perveance is almost constant. At

this time the diode perveance is < PCL indicating that the emission occurs over a fraction of the

cathode area only. The cathode plasma expands both radialy and axially, increasing the diode

perveance. The diode perveance increases rapidly after ~ 120 ns showing gap closure.

Various components used in the diagnostics were calibrated using standard modulated RF

source. For each shot, the beam parameters were recorded using Lecroy model WS 454

(500MHz, 2GS/s) scope. Microwave detector output was recorded using Tektronics make

oscilloscope TDS 520D (500MHz, 1GS/s).The microwave signal after detection was carried to

the scope by a BNC cable which was kept inside a metal conduit. Initially, the detector output

could not be recorded due to the high noise level persisting in the ambiance. To reduce the

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noise level, different techniques were tried such as grounding the conduit to the signal cable

ground, to the inner wall of the shield room etc. Isolating the scope supply from the AC mains

was also tried during the recording, but in vain. It was observed that ~ 300mV noise persisted

throughout. To override the noise signal and to improve the microwave signal amplitude from

the diode detector, a pre amplifier (BMC 1595) was used at the output of the microwave

detector. This could not also help in detecting the microwave signal as the noise level too got

amplified.

FIG. 6.3 HPM signal recorded from axial vircator.

It was observed that noise was picked up by the BNC cable when the BNC cable along with

the conduit was kept inside the shield chamber, though the amplitude was low. So the use of

BNC cable was avoided hence forward. Microwave signal was recorded successfully when RF

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cable was used to carry the signal from the receiving antenna and the diode detector was at the

scope end.

Finally HPM pulse has been successfully detected using wide band antenna RF cable and

diode detector setup. Estimated microwave peak power ~ 59.8 dBm (~1 kW) at (within the

effective aperture area of the receiving antenna) 7 m distance from the vircator window. Fig.

6.3 displays a typical HPM signal recorded by the diode detector. The corresponding beam

peak voltage and current was 256 kV and 9 kA. It was observed that there was a shot to shot

variation in the microwave peak power. For different shots microwave peak power at 7 m

distance varied to the maximum of ~ 1 kW. Few attempts were also made to measure

frequency of the radiation using YIG base tunable band pass filter. As the pass band of the

filter is only ~ 100 MHz we are unable to detect any signal using the filter.

6.2 HPM GENERATION FROM COAXIAL VIRCATOR

A coaxial virtual cathode oscillator (vircator) has been designed to generate High Power

Microwaves. Coaxial virtual cathode oscillators are known for better efficiency compared to

the axial virtual cathode oscillators. This Coaxial vircator has been designed for the KALI-

5000 pulse power system. Provision for a large anode-cathode gap has been kept to avoid the

prepulse effect during the electron beam generation from the KALI-5000 system.

Experimental studies are carried out to generate and characterize High Power Microwaves in

the presence of significant prepulse voltages. Relativistic Electron Beams are generated by the

Coaxial Explosively emitted graphite cathodes as described in the previous section. Electron

beam voltage has been measured by a copper sulphate voltage divider and beam current by a

B-dot probe. High Power Microwaves are detected by the glow of neon lamps placed closed to

the output window.

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The coaxial vircator consist of an cylindrical electron beam diode and a waveguide. The

electron beam is accelerated in the coaxial direction and is injected into the waveguide.

Electron beam is accelerated in the diode gap where pulsed high voltage is applied between the

anode and the cathode. The beam passes through the copper mesh anode, and is injected into

the area on the other side of the anode. Coaxial diode impedance calculated from the

Langmuir-Blodgett law for various anode cathode radiuses is given in the Table I.

TABLE I. Coaxial diode impedance for various anode cathode radiuses.

TABLE II. The calculated coaxial vircator frequency for various anode cathode radiuses and
diode voltages.

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The vircator microwave reflex and virtual cathode oscillation frequency are calculated from

Equations (6.2) and (6.3) respectively and listed in the Table II. The Coaxial Vircator emits the

maximum microwave power when the reflex and virtual cathode oscillation frequency are

same. For 400 kV diode voltage both the frequency are same for 1.4 cm diode gap and the

calculated frequency is around 4.4 GHz.

FIG. 6.4 Coaxial vircator diode voltage (Top 100 kV/Div) and diode current (Bottom 10kA/Div) (Time 200
ns/Div).

Since Blumlein impedance is 18 ohm, the diode impedance matches at 1.4 cm AK gap for 400

kV diode voltage. But the Prepulse voltage as shown in Fig. 6.4 reduces the diode impedance

significantly and perfect matching occurs at 1.8 cm diode gap. In this gap no reversal in the

Marx generator output (Fig. 6.5) voltage confirms the impedance matching.

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HPM generation studies were carried out in the Coaxial Vircator for 1.8 cm and 1.2 cm AK

gap. For 1.8 cm AK gap the peak diode voltage obtained was 350 kV and the peak current was

25 kA. For 1.2 cm AK gap the peak diode voltage was 200 kV and the peak diode current was

40 kA.

FIG. 6.5 Marx output voltage (Bottom 80 kV/Div) and diode current (Top 10 kA /Div) (Time 200 ns/Div)

The microwave pulse was measured by using the set up shown in Section 3.6. The HPM

radiation was received by a double-ridge horn antenna located a distance 4 meter away from

the output window and after suitable attenuation given to a diode detector. The diode detector

output is shown in the Fig. 6.6. Also HPM discharge observed on Tube light and Neon Lamp

placed a distance away from the output window.

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For both the cases HPM generation was observed and microwave pulse recorded by the diode

detector (Fig. 6.6.). For 1.2 cm diode gap HPM has got more peak power as the diode detector

was getting saturated even when the antenna has been placed at around 4.5 meter distance

from the vircator output window. At this place the measured HPM peak power was more than

20 dBm (within the effective aperture area of the receiving antenna). Also Neon Lamp Glow

FIG. 6.6 HPM signal from coaxial vircator detected by diode detector and horn antenna setup.

was observed at a distance of 10 cm from the output window and the power density required

for HPM discharge is more than 1 kW/ cm2. So the estimated peak power of the Coaxial

Vircator was more than 1 MW. Further experiments are required to measure the HPM power

more accurately.

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6.3 CONCLUSIONS

HPM generation studies have been carried out using the pulsed power generator KALI 1000.

The typical electron beam parameter was 200 kV, 14 kA, 100 ns. High power microwave has

been detected by neon lamp discharge by HPM illumination when placed a few meter

distances from the vircator window. A graphite explosive emission cathode has been used to

generate intense electron beams. Microwave power has been optimized by changing the AK

gap. It was found that the peak power occur around 6 mm anode cathode gap. HPM

measurements were done using zero bias schottky diode detectors along with a horn antenna

and sufficient attenuation so as to reduce the power level below the power rating of the diode

detector. Various components used in the diagnostics were calibrated using standard

modulated RF source. The estimated microwave peak power ~1 kW at 7 m distance from the

vircator window (within the effective aperture area of the receiving antenna). The

corresponding peak power at the vircator window was 196 MW. It was observed that there was

a shot to shot variation in the microwave peak power.

HPM generation studies were carried out with a coaxial vircator using cylindrical electron

beam diode in the presence of significant prepulse voltages. For 1.2 cm diode gap HPM has

got more peak power as the diode detector was getting saturated even when the antenna has

been placed at around 4.5 meter distance from the vircator output window. At this place the

measured HPM peak power was more than 20 dBm (within the effective aperture area of the

receiving antenna). The estimated peak power of the Coaxial Vircator was more than 1 MW.

Further experiments are required to measure the HPM power more accurately.

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