Cubic dispersion relation for a relativistic backward-waveoscillator

The cubic approximation to the dispersion relation for a relativistic backward-wave oscillator is obtained, and the utility and limits of the approximation are presented. The approximation is obtained by Taylor series expansion of the wave admittance in the dispersion relation for the transverse-magnetic and free-streaming modes of a relativistic, thin, hollow, cylindrical electron beam moving along the axis of a disc-loaded waveguide in a strong axial magnetic field. The resulting cubic dispersion relation yields instability growth rates and frequencies which fall off beyond their maximum more sharply with increasing wavenumber than for the complete dispersion relation. The approximation is found to be quite good near the operating points of contemporary high-power relativistic backward-wave oscillators, namely, for relatively long wavelength and small ratio of Budker's parameter to the relativistic gamma factor of the beam