Space-charge modulation in vacuum microdiodes at THz frequencies
Abstract
We investigate the dynamics of a space-charge limited, photoinjected, electron beam in a microscopic vacuum diode. Due to the small nature of the system it is possible to conduct high-resolution simulations where the number of simulated particles is equal to the number of electrons within the system. In a series of simulations of molecular dynamics type, where electrons are treated as point-charges, we address and analyze space-charge effects in a m-scale vacuum diode. We have been able to reproduce breakup of a single pulse injected with a current density beyond the Child-Langmuir limit, and we find that continuous injection of current into the diode gap results in a well defined train of electron bunches corresponding to THz frequency. A simple analytical explanation of this behavior is given.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1002.2659,
title = {Space-charge modulation in vacuum microdiodes at THz frequencies},
author = {Andreas Pedersen and Andrei Manolescu and Agust Valfells},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1002.2659},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
4 pages, 5 figures