Kazuo Ogura

Improved Performance of Oversized Backward Wave Oscillator Driven by Weakly Relativistic Electron Beam

We improve the performance of the K-band oversized backward wave oscillator. The beam is annular and weakly relativistic. The beam voltage is less than 100 kV and the beam current is less than 500 A. The operation frequencies are in the range of 23-27 GHz. The electromagnetic field of the K-band BWO concentrates in the vicinity of the SWS wall and the electron beam should be propagated within a few mm from the wall. The uniformity of annular beam is also very important for the efficient beam coupling. First, we modify the oversized SWS so that the beam interaction point is shifted to the π point. Secondly, we improve uniformity of the annular electron beam and the output power increases up to about 500 kW level.

Slow Cyclotron and Cherenkov Instabilities in Weakly Relativistic Oversized Backward Wave Oscillator

We analyze instabilities of oversized backward wave oscillator (BWO) designed for K-band operations in a weakly relativistic region (less than 100 kV). For the oversized BWO, the electromagnetic field is a surface wave localized near the waveguide wall. Instabilities due to the beam interactions with the surface wave are examined by considering three-dimensional beam perturbations. There exist the slow cyclotron and Cherenkov instabilities as in the case of non-oversized BWO. Nonaxisymmetric as well as axisymmetric instabilities are excited, even in the completely axisymmetric system. The growth rates of both modes are in the same order. The growth rates decrease exponentially if the beam is apart from the SWS wall.