Chaotic signal generation in low-voltage vircator with electron source shielded from external magnetic field.

The effect of shielding an electron source from a homogeneous external magnetic field of the drift chamber on the nonlinear dynamics of the electron beam with a virtual cathode (VC) and on the characteristics of output microwave radiation in a low-voltage vircator have been numerically simulated within the framework of a two-dimensional model. It is established that the increased degree of shielding of the electron source from the external magnetic field leads to the complication of the VC dynamics in the system and the corresponding chaotization of the output microwave radiation. Physical processes that account for the observed effect of shielding are analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]