Effect of carbon-fiber cathode on output pulse width and energy

The carbon-fiber cathode with CsI was substituted for the stainless steel cathode in the reflex triode virtual cathode oscillator experimental device. The carbon-fiber cathode vircator output microwaves with pulse width over 200 ns, which was about 30% longer than that of stainless steel cathode, and the ratio of the pulse areas was about 2.273, which meant the energy of single pulse of the former was double the latter’s. It was analysed that the complex emission mechanism, characteristic and configuration of the carbon fiber cathode slowers the plasma expansion velocities and lowers the temperature, thus extends the output pulse width and enhances the output energy.