A Novel High-Efficiency S-Band Conical Axial Vircator

Abstract

A VIRtual CAThode oscillatOR (Vircator) is a High-Power Microwave (HPM) vacuum electron device (VED) with applications in the field of health, energy, space, environment, and defense. In this work, a novel high efficiency S-band Vircator for counter Ummanned Aerial Vehicle(UAV)is presented. At first, starting from the geometrical and physical parameter values chosen, an axial vircator is designed. Then, to enhance its efficiency, a conical structure is added into the cylindric waveguide, altering the electron beam dynamic and optimizing the interaction with the virtual cathode. The Particle-in-Cell simulation carried out by CST Studio suite 2024, shows an average output power of 50MW and an efficiency up to 60% than the classic geometry ones, with an applied voltage of 520kV and a cathode current of 20kA at 2.55GHz.