Cathode Priming in the A6 Relativistic Magnetron

Summary form only given. A particle in cell code (ICEPIC) is used Io study the linear and nonlinear evolution of the magnetron instability in the A6 University of Michigan magnetron. Saturation of the instability and operating mode are examined as a function of magnetron priming geometry. Specifically, the question of dominant mode selection based on azimuthal variation on the emitting cathode is addressed. Moreover, the placement, area, number and emission properties of the axial emitting surface strips are examined to determine optimum start up time and noise reduction. The severity of mode competition is examined via spectral decomposition. A baseline for gauging the net effect of cathode priming is established by a comparison with a series of non-primed magnetron simulations that span the identical parameter space