“…Since the 1940s, the helix stands as the preferred geometry 30,31 for SWSs of TWTs, especially for communications, because it allows a broad bandwidth and large interaction impedance with a simple design. The development of helix theories and simulations is a recurrent topic in the TWT literature (for a non exhaustive list, see Refs 29,30,[59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74] as well as for other devices like particle accelerators, 75,76 free-electron lasers 77 or gyrotrons. 78 Two of the most popular models are the sheath helix model focusing on the fundamental mode of propagation, and its extension, the tape helix model, involving an infinite set of space harmonics.…”