I. V. Zotova

EXPERIMENTAL OBSERVATION OF SUPERRADIANCE IN MILLIMETER-WAVE BAND

Abstract The first experimental results of the observation of superradiance from a single subnanosecond electron bunch are presented. Superradiance was associated with different varieties of stimulated emission (bremstruhlung, cyclotron, Cherenkov, etc). Unique megawatt power level microwave pulses of short duration (0.3–0.5 ns) have been obtained.

Generation of powerful subnanosecond microwave pulses in the range of 38-150 GHz

Experimental measurements of coherent stimulated radiation from intense, subnanosecond electron bunches moving through aperiodic waveguide and interacting with a backward propagating TM/sub 0.1/ wave are presented. The ultra-short microwave pulses in Ka, W, and G band were generated with repetition frequencies of up to 25 Hz. Observation of RF breakdown of ambient air, as well as direct measurements by hot-carrier germanium detectors, gives an estimate of the peak power up to 140 MW for the 300-400 ps pulses at 38 GHz. The initial observation of 75 GHz 10-15 MW radiation pulses with duration less than 150 ps, and of 150 GHz microwave spikes with a risetime of 75 ps are also reported.

Experimental observation of wiggler superradiance under group synchronism condition

Abstract The first results of the observation of superradiance from a single, subnanosecond, high current, electron bunch passing through a wiggler immersed in a guide magnetic field are presented. The 300–500 ps microwave pulses were generated in the high gain regime for both the conventional and reverse directions of the guide magnetic field. The dependence of the radiation power on the interaction length as well as the absolute value of the power, 100–200 kW, were related with the development of self-bunching and consequently with coherent emission.

Time-domain self-consistent theory of frequency-locking regimes in gyrotrons with low-Q resonators

A time-domain theory of frequency-locking gyrotron oscillators with low-Q resonators has been developed. The presented theory is based on the description of wave propagation by a parabolic equation taking into account the external signal by modification of boundary conditions. We show that the developed model can be effectively used for simulations of both single- and multi-mode operation regimes in gyrotrons driven by an external signal. For the case of low-Q resonators typical for powerful gyrotrons, the external signal can influence the axial field profile inside the interaction space significantly and, correspondingly, the value of the electron orbital efficiency.

Effect of the nonlinear compression of ultrashort microwave pulses in the process of the amplification by quasistationary electron beams

An effect of the nonlinear compression of ultrashort microwave pulses has been observed in the process of the amplification of quasistationary electron beams. The Cherenkov mechanism of the interaction of a rectangular electron beam with a decelerated wave in a waveguide partially filled with an insulator is used. The experiment has been conducted on a setup consisting of two synchronized RADAN high-current accelerators. The first accelerator supplied a generator of 37-GHz superradiance pulses with a duration of about 300 ps. The second accelerator with a beam current of up to 1.2 kA and an electron energy of about 300 keV was used in an amplifying section. The theoretical analysis shows that the amplification of the electromagnetic pulses (at least by a factor of 4 in the power) is accompanied by a strong decrease in their duration (down to 100 ps).

Generation of ultrashort microwave pulses based on cyclotron superradiance

We have theoretically and experimentally investigated the superradiance from a bunch of electrons rotating in a homogeneous magnetic field. A RADAN-303B modulator equipped with a subnanosecond pulse slicer has been used to generate high current subnanosecond electron bunches (250 kV, 0.1-1 kA, 0.3-0.5 ns). Transverse momentum was imparted to the electrons by a kicker. It is shown that for the experimental observation of cyclotron superradiance from high current electron bunches the optimum conditions are the conditions of group synchronism, when the translational velocity of the bunch coincides with the group velocity of the radiation propagating in the waveguide. In the 35 GHz range microwave pulses with record short duration, down to 0.4 ns, with a peak power level up to 200 kW, have been obtained.

Generation of “gigantic” ultra-short microwave pulses based on passive mode-locking effect in electron oscillators with saturable absorber in the feedback loop

A periodic train of powerful ultrashort microwave pulses can be generated in electron oscillators with a non-linear saturable absorber installed in the feedback loop. This method of pulse formation resembles the passive mode-locking widely used in laser physics. Nevertheless, there is a specific feature in the mechanism of pulse amplification when consecutive energy extraction from different fractions of a stationary electron beam takes place due to pulse slippage over the beam caused by the difference between the wave group velocity and the electron axial velocity. As a result, the peak power of generated “gigantic” pulses can exceed not only the level of steady-state generation but also, in the optimal case, the power of the driving electron beam.

Generation of a periodic sequence of powerful ultrashort pulses in a traveling wave tube with bleachable absorber in the feedback loop

It is shown that a periodic series of ultrashort pulses can be formed in electron microwave generators with a bleachable absorber in the feedback loop. The peak power of such radiation is considerably higher than radiation power in stationary modes. The pulsed generation method is analogous to the method of passive synchronization of waves, which is widely used in laser physics.

Generation, Amplification, and Nonlinear Self-Compression of Powerful Superradiance Pulses

Superradiance (SR) of electron bunches can be considered an effective method of production of ultrashort electromagnetic pulses. Different types of SR associated with different mechanisms (cyclotron, Cherenkov, and bremsstrahlung) of stimulated emission are observed experimentally in the millimeter and centimeter wavelength bands. Progress in this research has enabled a new type of generator to be created capable of generating unique short (under 200-300 ps) electromagnetic pulses at super high peak powers exceeding 1 GW in the millimeter and 3 GW in the centimeter waveband. Some new methods for further increasing of the SR pulse peak power along with the promotion of such sources to higher frequency bands are discussed. These new methods include phase synchronization of several SR pulse generators, the amplification of an SR pulse during its propagation along a quasi-stationary electron beam and nonlinear compression in the process of induced self-transparency.

Generation of trains of ultrashort microwave pulses by two coupled helical gyro-TWTs operating in regimes of amplification and nonlinear absorption

Based on a time-domain model, we demonstrate that a periodic train of powerful ultrashort microwave pulses can be generated in an electron oscillator consisting of two coupled helically corrugated gyrotron travelling wave tubes (gyro-TWTs) operating in regimes of amplification and saturable absorption, respectively. The mechanism of pulse formation in such an oscillator is based on the effect of passive mode-locking widely used in laser physics. Saturable absorption can be implemented in a gyro-TWT in the Kompfner dip regime by a proper matching of the guiding magnetic field. According to simulations with the parameters of an experimentally realized Ka-band gyro-TWT, the peak power of generated pulses with a duration of 200 ps can achieve 400 kW.