Particle Studio Research Articles

Wakefields excited in the FCC-ee collimation system

The purpose of this paper is to calculate the longitudinal and transverse wakefields of the FCC collimators using the electromagnetic codes ECHO3D and IW2D. We cross-checked our results using CST particle studio for long bunches, and found them to be in good agreement. The obtained results show that the collimators give one of the highest contributions to the overall FCC-ee wake potentials. In particular, using the code PyHEADTAIL, we have found that the geometric contribution of the collimators' wakefield reduces significantly the transverse mode coupling instability threshold. Therefore, it is imperative to explore and implement solutions that effectively mitigate this wakefield source.

Low peak-to-average ratio 850 GHz backward wave oscillator for THz communication

In sub-THz communication systems, compact, high-power, tunable radiation sources are required. Backward wave oscillators (BWO) have been practical devices for THz communication, but the maximum output power can be several times more than the minimum in the operation frequency range. To obtain the low peak-to-average ratio (LPAR) of the maximum power to the average power, the local maximum output power in the operation frequency range is first found theoretically and verified by particle-in-cell simulation. The LPAR 850 GHz BWO is then proposed. It applies a corrugated rectangular waveguide slow-wave structure, whose geometrical parameters are optimized using a multi-constrained optimization method. The optimized BWO operating in the frequency range from 790 to 882 GHz is simulated by the CST Particle Studio. The device can deliver at least 0.58 W with a LPAR of 1.08 when the conductivity of the slow-wave structure is 5.96 × 107 S/m. For a smaller conductivity of 3 × 107 S/m, the BWO can deliver at least 0.4 W with a LPAR of 1.13.

Design, Analysis, and Simulation of a Three-Stage Stagger-Tuned, Clustered-Buncher Cavity Gyroklystron Amplifier

A self-consistent, nonlinear analysis of the three-stage clustered-cavity gyroklystron amplifier has been developed. The investigation has been applied to the previously reported 32.3-GHz, second harmonic, three-cavity conventional gyroklystron amplifier operating at the TE02 mode for its performance enhancement in terms of bandwidth. Using the clustered-cavity analysis, a peak RF output of <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sim $ </tex-math></inline-formula> 310 kW, electronic efficiency <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sim $ </tex-math></inline-formula> 23%, and <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sim $ </tex-math></inline-formula> 27-dB gain have been obtained at desired 32.3-GHz frequency. The clustered-cavity device bandwidth has been obtained as <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sim $ </tex-math></inline-formula> 59.5 MHz, which is significantly much higher than the conventional-cavity case, i.e., <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sim $ </tex-math></inline-formula> 36 MHz. It is observed from the analytical results that the clustered-cavity approach widens the bandwidth with a slight increase in the device gain and efficiency. Furthermore, the effect of stagger-tuning in the clustered cavities on the device performance has also been explained in detail. The results confirmed that the increase in the stagger-tuning parameter to 0.5 further increases the device bandwidth to 103 MHz but with a considerable decrease in the gain parameter. Hence, there should be a tradeoff between the gain and bandwidth in terms of the stagger-tuning parameter. The analytical results obtained are verified further by carrying out the particle in cell (PIC) simulation of the designed gyroklystron amplifier using the 3-D PIC simulation tool CST Particle Studio for different values of stagger-tuning parameters. The simulated results obtained agree with the analytical results within 10%.

Electromagnetic and Electrostatic Particle-in-Cell Simulations for Multipactor in Parallel-Plate Waveguide

This article introduced a multipactor threshold criterion based on collision and emission currents, and the simulation results were compared using a traditional method. The impact of macroparticle weight on multipactor saturation was studied using electromagnetic particle-in-cell (EM-PIC) simulations of CST Particle Studio. It was found that the simulation results converged when the macroparticle weight was less than 106. A model calculating accumulated charge on the dielectric surface was proposed and validated against theoretical calculations. The dynamic evolution of multipactor in dielectric-loaded parallel-plate waveguide was analyzed, and predictions were validated against results from the existing model. Finally, the effect of surface charge fields and space charge effect on the multipactor mechanism was studied. The results showed that the multipactor could be suppressed when the ratio of the number of accumulated electrons on the dielectric surface to the saturation electron population was greater than 3.96.

Amplification of THz waves by beam-wave interaction in self-assembled helical slow-wave structures with single and double chirality

We investigate the interaction between an electron beam and a THz guided electromagnetic wave in a helical slow-wave structure formed by self-assembly of a conductive ribbon. We have previously shown the controlled fabrication of this slow-wave structure and its potential to form the basis for widely deployable millimeter-through-THz traveling-wave tube amplifiers. The process allows the fabrication of helical slow-wave structures with single and double chirality. Here, we use three-dimensional simulations to perform a comparative analysis of beam–wave interaction in self-assembled gold helices with single and double chirality. First, the structures are modeled without the electron beam (cold helices) to calculate the distribution of the electric field generated by the high-frequency wave. We perform simulations of cold helices by using Computer Simulation Technology Microwave Studio. Second, we evaluate the interaction between an electron beam and the THz travelingwave by using a particle in cell simulator in Computer Simulation Technology Particle Studio. Simulation studies show that a switch in chirality in the middle of self-assembled helices generates a reflected wave that boosts beam–wave interaction. We demonstrate that this efficient energy exchange will potentially provide high gain in THz traveling-wave tube amplifiers based on self-assembled helices.

Optimization of transverse emittance for RF-driven negative hydrogen ion source developed at China Spallation Neutron Source.

The China Spallation Neutron Source project Phase-II aims to deliver 500 kW beam power to the spallation target. To meet the beam power requirement, an RF-driven negative hydrogen ion source with an external-antenna has been developed. In order to optimize the beam transmission through the radio frequency quadrupole and the downstream linac, the low energy beam transport line needs to be carefully studied and the transverse emittance is focused in this paper. With computational simulation and experimental verification, the emittance growth caused by nonlinear magnetic fields of the solenoid and the residual magnetic fields at the measuring position has been carefully analyzed. The measurement uncertainty of the double-slit scanner has also been quantitatively estimated. Using the same plasma-beam boundary setting, the beam extraction system is also optimized with particle tracking simulation in CST PARTICLE STUDIO.

Theoretical and Experimental Research on Spatial Performances of the Long-slit Streak Tube

Abstract The streak tubes are widely used in National Ignition Facility (NIF), Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF), and streak tube imaging lidar (STIL) as radiation or imaging detectors. The spatial resolution and effective photocathode area of the streak tube are strongly dependent on its operating and geometry parameters (electron optical structure and applied voltage). Studies about this dependence do not cover the full range of the parameters. In this paper, 3-D models are developed in Computer Simulation Technology Particle Studio (CST-PS) to comprehensively calculate the spatial resolution for various parameters. Monte Carlo Sampling method (M-C method) and spatial modulation transfer function method (SMTF) are employed in our simulation. Simulated results of the optimized spatial resolution are validated by the experimental data. Finally, the radii of the photocathode (R c) and phosphor screen (R s) are optimized. Geometry parameters of R c=60 mm and R s=80 mm are proposed to optimize the streak tube performances. Simulation and experimental results show that the spatial resolution and effective photocathode area of this streak tube are expected to reach 16 lp/mm and 30 mm-length while the voltage between cathode and grid (U cg) is 150 V.

Design and Thermal Analysis of Magnetron Injection Gun for Dual-Band Gyroklystron

In this article, the design and thermal analysis of a novel dual-emitter magnetron injection gun (MIG) for dual-band gyroklystron amplifiers have been completed. First, we determine the operating mode, frequency, current, and other parameters of the dual-band gyroklystron. Then, the geometrical structure of MIG was preliminarily calculated by the trade-off equation and optimized by using the 3-D code CST particle studio and 2-D code EGUN, and the corresponding magnetic guidance system was designed. Finally, the temperature and thermal deformation of the cathode were performed. This dual-emitter MIG can successfully work in the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$X$ </tex-math></inline-formula>/ <i>Ku</i>-band, laying the foundation for the development of dual-band gyroklystrons.

Two surface multipactor discharge with two-frequency rf fields and space-charge effects

This paper presents two-surface multipactor discharge with two-frequency rf fields using Monte Carlo simulations and Computer Simulation Technology (CST) Particle Studio. The effects of the relative strength and phase of the second carrier mode on multipactor susceptibility and time dependent physics are studied. Compared to single-frequency rf operation, shrinkage of multipactor susceptibility regions is observed for different configurations of two-frequency rf operation. The presence of a second carrier mode in the rf field results in mixed multipactor modes in which electrons take a fixed time period to complete a round trip between the two surfaces, while the time for electrons to traverse the gap in each direction is found to be different. CST simulation reveals that the space-charge effect reduces the electron growth rate and causes shrinkage of multipactor susceptibility bands.

Investigation of a Miniaturized E-Band Cosine-Vane Folded Waveguide Traveling-Wave Tube for Wireless Communication

To realize the miniaturization of E-band traveling-wave tubes (TWTs), the size analysis and optimization design were carried out based on an improved cosine-vane folded waveguide (CV-FWG) slow-wave structure (SWS) that operates in a low voltage. In addition, a novel miniaturized T-shaped coupler was proposed to achieve a good voltage standing wave rate (VSWR) in a broad bandwidth. The coupler length was reduced by as much as 77% relative to an original design. With higher coupling impedance, the radius and length of the shortened SWS were optimized as 1.3 mm and 50 mm, respectively. Using microwave tube simulator suit (MTSS) and CST particle studio (PS), 3D beam–wave simulations at 9400 V, 20 mA predicted a gain of 20 dB and a saturated output power of 9 W. The simulation results for CV-FWG TWTs were compared with conventional FWG TWTs from 81 GHz to 86 GHz, showing significant performance advantages with excellent flatness for high-rate wireless communication in the future. The CV-FWG SWS circuit will be fabricated by 3D printing, and this work is underway.

Numerical Simulation Study on Gain Nonlinearity of Microchannel Plate in Photomultiplier Tube

Microchannel plate-photomultiplier tubes (MCP-PMTs) with high dynamic ranges and strong outputs are still challenges for the future inertial confinement fusion (ICF) studies, aiming at detecting the large-scale intensities of the radiation pulses. In this article, to investigate the influence factors of the gain nonlinearity causing high-linearity limits of the MCP-PMTs, 3-D microchannel plate (MCP) channel models were built in computer simulation technology (CST) Particle Studio. The Monte Carlo and particle-in-cell methods were carried out to simulate the electron cascade processes in the channels of the MCPs. The dependences of MCP gain nonlinearity on the number of incident electrons, operating voltage, and secondary electron emission (SEE) yield properties were studied. The gains obtained by the simulations for the conventional one-stage and two-stage MCPs are in good agreement with the available experimental data, which verifies the reliabilities of the 3-D MCP models. The simulation results show that the gain of the MCP single channel decreases as the number of incident electrons increases due to the space charge effects. The higher the operating voltage and SEE yield of the MCP, the faster the gain deteriorates. To mitigate the gain saturation effect of MCP single channels, a novel structural design of MCP-PMTs has been proposed by adjusting the design of the MCP chevron pair. A significant improvement in the output pulse peak can be obtained.

Comprehensive Particle-In-Cell Simulations of Ten-Vane Microwave Oven Free-Running 2.45 GHz “Cooker” Magnetron With ICEPIC and CST-PS Codes

Particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations of a microwave oven free-running 2.45 GHz “cooker” ten-vane magnetron operating with a “cold” explosive-emission cathode in a uniform axial magnetic field are performed with two computer codes, improved concurrent electromagnetic PIC (ICEPIC), and CST Particle Studio (CST-PS). PIC simulations are done to compare results obtained by these two codes to each other and, in such a way, identify all possible advantages and disadvantages of each code performance as a reliable tool allowing to predict all important characteristics of the magnetron operation. Results of the PIC simulations show that the range of applied voltages within which the magnetron is able to operate in the <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\pi $ </tex-math></inline-formula> -mode at an external uniform axial magnetic field 0.19 T is much broader as it is predicted by the CST-PS code, from 4.00 to 4.70 kV, than as it predicted by the ICEPIC code, from 3.90 to 4.10 kV. It is also shown that while the magnetron startup time gradually decreases, as it is predicted by the ICEPIC code, from about 700 ns (3.90 kV) to about 100 ns (4.20 kV) with the applied voltage increase, it initially chaotically varies, as it is predicted by the CST-PS code, between about 1000 ns (4.03 kV) and about 300 ns (4.01 kV) and only then gradually decreases down to 10–20 ns (4.40–4.60 kV) with the applied voltage increase. Additional PIC simulation with MAGIC or VORPAL codes would be interesting to perform as well to compare the obtained with these codes simulation results with results described in this article.

A New Design of Large-format Streak Tube with Single-lens Focusing System

Abstract Streak tubes with large-format and high spatial resolution are central to mm-spatial-resolved STIL detection system and hyperspectral resolved ICF experiment. In this paper, we established a large-format streak tube with a three-coaxial-cylindrical single-lens focusing system, a spherically curved photocathode and phosphor screen model in CST Particle Studio. The temporal and spatial resolution were calculated and mimicked based on the Monte-Carlo sampling method in static and dynamic mode. The simulated results show that the static spatial resolution reaches 50 lp/mm over the whole 50 mm effective photocathode length, and the physical temporal resolution is better than 45 ps. Furthermore, in dynamic working mode, the streak tube can achieve spatial resolution of 10 lp/mm and temporal resolution of 60 ps. The simulation results will be used to guide the design and production for large-format with high spatial resolution streak tube development.

Space-charge limited current in planar and cylindrical crossed-field diodes using variational calculus

Crossed-field space-charge limited current (CF-SCLC) represents the maximum stable current that can be produced in crossed-field devices (CFDs); prominent CFDs include magnetrons and cyclotrons, critical technologies in vacuum electronics. While planar crossed-field geometries have the most developed theoretical models, cylindrical geometries are far more common and useful in practical applications. CFDs are characterized by the strength of the externally applied magnetic field B, orthogonal (crossed) to the electric field; this is often normalized to the magnetic insulation condition, the Hull cutoff field BH. We apply variational calculus to derive a new theoretical model for CF-SCLC for planar and cylindrical devices below and above BH. The variational model offers a concise derivation for planar results without transforming to the time domain and gives the first analytic results from first principles for cylindrical CF-SCLC. We implement a fully three-dimensional simulation in CST Particle Studio which, in addition to additional derived simple theoretical models, explains the often overlooked experimental current scaling ∝1−B/BH21/2 which decreases to zero current as B→BH−. These additional simple models reduce the maximum mismatch magnitude between theory and experiments or simulations by up to 68% compared to the variational model, with the most improvement at the critical limit B→BH−. Justification for the variational model and future applications are discussed.

RF behavior of a 35 GHz conventional cavity gyrotron using multimode analysis and PIC simulation

ABSTRACT In this paper, the RF behavior of a 35 GHz, TE 04 mode cylindrical cavity gyrotron is investigated using the nonlinear multimode theory and PIC code “CST Particle Studio”. A code is developed to realize the beam-wave interaction mechanism using time-dependent multimode theory. The cold cavity behavior is observed for the cavity operation in the designed TE 04 mode and 35 GHz frequency. The magnetic field profile is kept uniform along the length of the interaction structure. The output power is estimated for the designed mode as well as all nearby competing modes using the multimode analysis and PIC simulation. This yields the output power more than 200 kW with 33% efficiency in the designed TE 04 mode, whereas the smaller output power in the nearby competing modes. Power sustainability is also observed for the stable operation of the device. The effects of beam velocity spread and detuning of magnetic field on its performance are also observed.

Improved Model for Beam–Wave Interaction With Ohmic Losses and Reflections of Sheet Beam Traveling Wave Tubes

In this article, an improved model for the beam-wave interaction of sheet beam in traveling wave tubes (TWTs) considering ohmic losses and reflections is presented. The ohmic losses are obtained by field analysis and equivalent method. The space charge magnetic field is derived from the active Helmholtz's equation. An algorithm to obtain the S-matrix by the equivalent circuit method is presented. The relativistic Boris method is applied to accelerate macroparticles. The exchanged power is computed by the work the electromagnetic field applied to the macroparticles. The theoretical model is applied for validation to a G-band staggered double vane TWT and validated in comparison with CST Particle Studio and simulations without losses and reflections. The convergence of this algorithm is also discussed. The simulation time of the model is substantial faster than 3-D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations.

Suppression of Spurious Cavity Modes Using Lossy Dielectric Material in X-Band Tunable Coaxial Pulse Magnetron

This article presents the electromagnetic and particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation results of an X-band coaxial magnetron obtained using commercially available 3-D simulation tools CST particle studio. The operating frequency of the magnetron is 9.5 GHz with the tuning range of 8.5-9.5 GHz and the output power of 200 kW. It is observed by simulation that stable operation is not possible without eliminating the spurious cavity modes. For this purpose, the inner wall of the anode block has been loaded with the lossy dielectric material in the form of an annular cylinder having dielectric permittivity 23 and loss tangent 0.24. When the anode wall is loaded with lossy dielectric material, eight space charge spokes are observed during the stable operation of the magnetron which correspond to π-mode of operation in a coaxial magnetron having 16 vanes. A clear oscillation spectrum with a single peak is observed at 9.350 GHz with no other noticeable peaks. The radiated output power obtained in simulations is about 235 kW, with an anode voltage of 23 kV and an anode current of 30 A. The applied external magnetic field is 0.36 T and the corresponding efficiency of the magnetron operation is ~34%. The frequency tunability of the magnetron and the effect of frequency variation on the output power of the magnetron have also been studied by varying the length of the outer coaxial cavity. The frequency has been varied from 8.65 to 9.577 GHz and the corresponding variation in the output power is about 16%.

Effects of secondary electron emission yield properties on gain and timing performance of ALD-coated MCP

The technology of atomic layer deposition has been used to improve the lifetime of the microchannel plate-photomultiplier tube (MCP-PMT) effectively and makes MCP possible to choose to coat different potential emissive materials on the internal surface of the MCP channels in the future. However, it is still an open question to what extent the secondary electron emission (SEE) yield properties of the emissive materials influence the behavior of the ALD-coated MCP. In this work, the dependences of the gain and timing performance on the SEE yield properties were assessed by using the Monte Carlo and particle-in-cell methods. We established the three-dimensional MCP single channel model in Computer Simulation Technology (CST) Particle Studio. Three important secondary electron emissions, the backscattered, rediffused and true SEEs, were discussed numerically based on the probabilistic model. The secondary electron cascade processes in the MCP single channel were simulated. The simulation results indicate that the opportunities for improving the gain of the ALD-coated MCP by improving the SEE yields corresponding to the incident energies of 0 eV–100 eV. The backscattered and rediffused electrons are found to have strong effects on the gain and timing performance of the MCP. Although the higher the SEE yield the higher the MCP gain, the drawback is the extremely high SEE yield will make the MCP saturated prematurely and degrade the time resolution. The simulation results will be used to guide the design and selection of emissive material for ALD-coated MCP development.

Analysis of Injected Electron Beam Propagation in a Planar Crossed-Field Gap

This paper examines basic crossed-field device physics in a planar configuration, specifically electron beam perturbation and instability as a function of variation in magnetic field, and angle between magnetic and electric field. We perform a three-dimensional (3-D) simulation of electron perturbation in a planar crossed-field system using the full 3-D particle trajectory solver in CST Particle Studio (CST-PS). The structure has a length, height, width and anode-sole gap of 15 cm, 2 cm, 10 cm, and 2 cm, respectively. The anode to sole voltage is fixed at 3 kV, and the magnetic field and injected current varied from 0.01 T to 0.05 T and 1.5 mA to 1 A, respectively. The simulations show that applying a magnetic field of 0.05 T makes the beam stable for a critical current density of 94 mA/cm2 for an anode-sole gap of 20 mm. Above this current density, the beam was unstable, as predicted. Introducing a 1° tilt in the magnetic field destabilizes the beam at a current density of 23 mA/cm2, which is lower than the critical current density for no tilt, as predicted by our theory. The simulation results also agree well with prior one-dimensional (1-D) theory and simulations that predict stable bands of current density for a 5° tilt where the beam is stable at low current density (&lt;13.3 mA/cm2), unstable above this threshold, and then stable again at higher current density, (&gt;33 mA/cm2).

Beam optics in a co-axial cavity accelerator

This paper describes the basic design of electron accelerator using co-axial cavity. Theoretical calculations and simulation results are presented. Simulations are carried out using CST Particle studio, final energy ∼ 9 MeV is obtained. Nine Dipole magnets with magnetic field 0.07 T to 0.2 T are used to bend electron beam through 180 deg. Calculated values and simulation results are matching well.