Efficiency enhancement of high power vacuum BWO's using nonuniformslow wave structures

The Sinus-6, a high-power relativistic repetitively-pulsed electron beam accelerator, is used to drive various slow wave structures in a BWO configuration in vacuum. Peak output power of about 550 MW at 9.45 GHz was radiated in an 8-ns pulse. We describe experiments which study the relative efficiencies of microwave generation from a two-stage nonuniform amplitude slow wave structure and its variations without an initial stage. Experimental results are compared with 2.5 D particle-in-cell computer simulations. Our results suggest that prebunching the electron beam in the initial section of the nonuniform BWO results in increased microwave generation efficiency, Furthermore, simulations reveal that, in addition to the backward propagating surface harmonic of the TM₀₁ mode, backward and forward propagating volume harmonics with phase velocity twice that of the surface harmonic play an important role in high-power microwave generation and radiation     

Studies of relativistic backward-wave oscillator operation in thecross-excitation regime

We first reported the operation of a relativistic backward-wave oscillator (BWO) in the so-called cross-excitation regime in 1998. This instability, whose general properties were predicted earlier through numerical studies, resulted from the use of a particularly shallow rippled-wall waveguide [slow wave structure (SWS)] that was installed in an experiment to diagnose pulse shortening in a long-pulse electron beam-driven high-power microwave (HPM) source. This SWS was necessary to accommodate laser interferometry measurements along the SWS during the course of microwave generation. Since those early experiments, we have studied this regime in greater detail using two different SWS lengths. We have invoked time-frequency analysis, the smoothed-pseudo Wigner-Ville distribution in particular, to interpret the heterodyned signals of the radiated power measurements. These recent results are consistent with earlier theoretical predictions for the onset and voltage scaling for this instability. This paper presents data for a relativistic BWO operating in the single-frequency regime for two axial modes, operating in the cross-excitation regime, and discusses the interpretation of the data, as well as the methodology used for its analysis. Although operation in the cross-excitation regime is typically avoided due to its poorer efficiency, it may prove useful for future HPM effects studies     

Transverse oscillations of a long-pulse electron beam on alaser-formed channel

An intense relativistic electron beam may be transported in low-pressure gas using an ion channel which focuses and guides the beam. The beam can be unstable to the growth of transverse oscillations caused by the electric force between the beam and channel-the ion hose instability. Beam propagation on channels created by photoionization of gas with an excimer laser is discussed. Ion hose oscillations have been recorded which have a betatron wavelength of approximately 1.5 m. The growth rate of the ion hose instability in the linear regime was measured as 1.67±0.45. At this level of growth, the amplitude of beam oscillations equals the channel radius after a period of one-third of an ion oscillation time     

High-power microwave-induced TM01 plasma ring

Open-shutter photography was used to capture the air breakdown pattern induced by a TM₀₁ mode radiated by a high-power backward wave oscillator. The resultant plasma ring was formed in air adjacent to a conical horn antenna fitted with a membrane to keep the experiment under vacuum. This image was digitized and further processed using Khoros 2.0 software to obtain the dimensions of the plasma ring. This information was used in an air breakdown analysis to estimate the radiated power, and agrees within 10% with the power measured using field mapping with an open-ended WR-90 waveguide     

Rapid start of oscillations in a magnetron with a "transparent" cathode

We report on the improvement of conditions for the rapid start of oscillations in magnetrons by increasing the amplitude of the operating wave that is responsible for the capture of electrons into spokes. This amplitude increase is achieved by using a hollow cathode with longitudinal strips removed, thereby making the cathode transparent to the wave electric field with azimuthal polarization. In addition, an optimal choice of the number and position of cathode strips provide favorable prebunching of the electron flow over the cathode for fast excitation of the operating mode. Particle-in-cell simulations of the A6 magnetron demonstrate these advantages of this novel cathode.     

The onset of coulomb explosions in polyatomic molecules

With the development of high intensity femtosecond lasers, the ionisation and dissociation dynamics of molecules has become an area of considerable interest. Using the technique of femtosecond laser mass spectrometry (FLMS), the molecules carbon disulphide, pyrimidine, toluene, cyclohexanone and benzaldehyde are studied with pulse widths of 50 fs in the near infrared (IR) wavelength region (790 nm). Results are presented and contrasted for laser beam intensities around 10(15) and 10(16) W cm(-2). For the lower intensities, the mass spectra yield dominant singly charged parent ions. Additionally, the appearance of doubly charged parent ions is evident for carbon disulphide, toluene and benzaldehyde with envelopes of doubly charged satellite species existing in these local regions. Carbon disulphide also reveals a small triply charged component. Such atomic-like features are thought to be a strong fingerprint of FLMS at these intensities. However, upon increasing the laser intensity to approximately 10(16) W cm(-2), parent ion dominance decreases and the appearance of multiply charged atomic species occurs, particularly carbon. This phenomenon has been attributed to Coulomb explosions in which the fast absorption of many photons may produce transient highly ionised parent species which can subsequently blow apart. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Uniform molecular analysis using femtosecond laser mass spectrometry

The potential of femtosecond laser time-of-flight mass spectrometry (FLMS) for uniform quantitative analysis of molecules has been investigated. Various samples of molecular gases and vapours have been studied, using ultra-fast ( approximately 50 fs) laser pulses with very high intensity (up to 1.6 x 10(16) Wcm(-2)) for non-resonant multiphoton ionisation/tunnel ionisation. Some of these molecules have high ionisation potentials, requiring up to ten photons for non-resonant ionisation. The relative sensitivity factors (RSF) have been determined as a function of the laser intensity and it has been demonstrated that for molecules with very different masses and ionisation potentials, uniform ionisation has been achieved at the highest laser intensities. Quantitative laser mass spectrometry of molecules is therefore a distinct possibility. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of the forward wave on the efficiency of generating microwave radiation in a relativistic backward wave tube

An analysis is made of the influence of the forward wave on the operation of a relativistic uniform backward wave tube. The conditions are determined under which it is necessary to take account of asynchronous waves in the processes of energy exchange between the electromagnetic field and the electron beam. It is shown that the forward wave can strongly influence the nature of the beam modulation. This causes a change in the conditions for its interaction with the synchronous wave. Methods are proposed for optimizing the oscillator which enable the efficiency of the backward wave tube to be increased by a factor of 1.5–2. In the experiments an oscillator is realized which has a uniform electrodynamic system, an efficiency of 25%, and a microwave radiation power of 650 MW at 3 cm wavelength. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 12, pp. 49–55, December, 1996.