Patent ID: 8508132

Claim:
A metamaterial cathode designed for a multi-cavity magnetron, said magnetron being considered as a cylindrical magnetron diode with a centrally located electron-emitting metamaterial cathode being symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal axis and being surrounded by a symmetrical anode having a plurality of resonant cavities, an external DC electric field E0 directed radially from the anode to the cathode (−ρ), an external DC magnetic field H0 directed parallel to the longitudinal axis (z), and during operation an induced electromagnetic field (E1×H1) within the magnetron associated with a traveling radio frequency (rf) wave, said induced electromagnetic field having a circumferential component E1Φ, a radial component E1ρ, and an axial component H1z, said magnetron comprised of: a. a bulk metamaterial cathode of one or more nested helical structures with each helix comprised of a metal-thin-wire with each individual wire directed generally parallel to the circumferential component E1Φ of the induced rf electric field and each helical structure forming a set of metal-split-ring resonators that are generally oriented in a plane perpendicular to the axial component H1z of the induced rf magnetic field, each of said metal-split-ring resonators being electrically connected to each other; and b. said metal-thin-wires having a distance a between two adjacent wires and a wire diameter d with a<λ/4 and d<a where λ is the wavelength of the induced rf electric field, whereby the circumferential component of the induced rf electric field (E1Φ) oscillates along the wires of each helix inducing an artificial electric dipole moment and the axial component of the induced rf magnetic field (H1z) oscillates generally perpendicular to the plane of the split rings inducing an artificial magnetic dipole moment within the body of the metamaterial cathode which either constructively or negatively interacts with the induced E1×H1 field modifying the stop/pass band locations on the dispersion diagram of the magnetron resonant system and thereby improving the output characteristics of said multi-cavity magnetron.