Stability of a 95-GHz slotted third-harmonic gyro-TWT amplifier

A low-magnetic-field moderate-voltage gyrotron amplifier has been designed for stable high-performance operation at 95 GHz. A slotted interaction circuit is utilized to achieve strong amplification near the third cyclotron harmonic frequency. The start-oscillation conditions were determined by an analytical theory and confirmed by a multimode particle-in cell simulation code. The dominant threat to the amplifier's stability is from a third-harmonic peniotron backward-wave interaction. A slow-timescale particle-tracing simulation code predicts the three-section slotted third-harmonic gyro-TWT, which utilizes an 11.6-kG magnet and a 50-kV 3-A υ_⊥/υ_z=1.4 axis-encircling electron beam with an axial velocity spread of 6% will yield an output power of 30 kW with an efficiency of 20%, a saturated gain of 40 dB, and a constant-drive bandwidth of 2%