Formation and dynamics of a virtual cathode in a tubular electron beam placed in a magnetic field

Mechanisms underlying the formation and dynamics of a virtual cathode (VC) in a tubular electron beam subjected to a magnetic field are studied using a numerical 2D model. Two qualitatively different competing types of space charge dynamics near the VC are discovered. Which of them predominates depends on the magnetic field strength. The beam current critical density at which a nonstationary VC forms in the system is also strongly dependent on the magnetic field. It is shown that the optimal strength of the magnetic field that minimizes the beam current critical density depends on the Brillouin magnetic field.