Applications and current status of the finite-element MICHELLE gun & collector simulation code

The MICHELLE code is a finite-element electrostatic particle in cell code for application to 2D and 3D particle beam formation, transport, and collection. Its primary development focus has been for DC electron guns and depressed collectors, however, it has other applications such as RF electron guns, ion thrusters, photocathodes, etc. Its ability to manage large mesh sizes and large particle counts in complex geometries requiring the resolution of disparate spatial scales in 2D and 3D on desktop computers has allowed it to be applied to devices that could not have been readily modeled in recent years. This presentation gives an overview of recent applications, capabilities, and the current status of MICHELLE. In particular, application to time-dependent problems and optimization will be illustrated.