On the Power Limits of an Axially Extracted Virtual Cathode Oscillator

In this article, the power capabilities of the axially extracted virtual cathode oscillator are determined by analytical means. The used methodology comprises two stages. First, power limits are established by mathematical optimization of a Vircator power model calculating the average power radiated at a given frequency. Second, the analytical results are validated by comparison against computational simulations. The presented analysis is in agreement with the reported experimental data and computational simulation.