Recent research and development has been incredibly successful at advancing the capabilities for vacuum electronic device (VED) sources of powerful terahertz (THz) and near-THz coherent radiation, both CW or average and pulsed. Currently, the VED source portfolio covers over 12 orders of magnitude in power (mW-to-GW) and two orders of magnitude in frequency (from ; 10 THz). Further advances are still possible and anticipated. They will be enabled by improved understanding of fundamental beam-wave interactions, electromagnetic mode competition and mode control, along with research and development of new materials, fabrication methods, cathodes, electron beam alignment and focusing, magnet technologies, THz metrology and advanced, broadband output radiation coupling techniques.

Vacuum Electronic High Power Terahertz Sources

This article reviews the state-of-the-art in high-power microwave source research. It begins with a discussion of the concepts involved in coherent microwave generation. The main varieties of microwave tubes are classified into three groups, according to the fundamental radiation mechanism involved: Cherenkov, transition, or bremsstrahlung radiation. This is followed by a brief discussion of some of the technical fundamentals of high-power microwave sources, including power supplies and electron guns. Finally, the history and recent developments of both high-peak power and high-average power sources are reviewed in the context of four main areas of application: (1) plasma resonance heating and current drive; (2) rf acceleration of charged particles; (3) radar and communications systems; and (4) high-peak power sources for weapons-effect simulation and exploratory development.

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Review of high-power microwave source research

This paper presents a review of the experimental achievements related to the development of high-power gyrotron oscillators for long-pulse or CW operation and pulsed gyrotrons for many applications. In addition, this work gives a short overview on the present development status of frequency step-tunable and multi-frequency gyrotrons, coaxial-cavity multi-megawatt gyrotrons, gyrotrons for technological and spectroscopy applications, relativistic gyrotrons, large orbit gyrotrons (LOGs), quasi-optical gyrotrons, fast- and slow-wave cyclotron autoresonance masers (CARMs), gyroklystrons, gyro-TWT amplifiers, gyrotwystron amplifiers, gyro-BWOs, gyro-harmonic converters, gyro-peniotrons, magnicons, free electron masers (FEMs), and dielectric vacuum windows for such high-power mm-wave sources. Gyrotron oscillators (gyromonotrons) are mainly used as high-power millimeter wave sources for electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH), electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD), stability control, and diagnostics of magnetically confined plasmas for clean generation of energy by controlled thermonuclear fusion. The maximum pulse length of commercially available 140 GHz, megawatt-class gyrotrons employing synthetic diamond output windows is 30 min (CPI and European KIT-SPC-THALES collaboration). The world record parameters of the European tube are as follows: 0.92 MW output power at 30-min pulse duration, 97.5% Gaussian mode purity, and 44% efficiency, employing a single-stage depressed collector (SDC) for energy recovery. A maximum output power of 1.5 MW in 4.0-s pulses at 45% efficiency was generated with the QST-TOSHIBA (now CANON) 110-GHz gyrotron. The Japan 170-GHz ITER gyrotron achieved 1 MW, 800 s at 55% efficiency and holds the energy world record of 2.88 GJ (0.8 MW, 60 min) and the efficiency record of 57% for tubes with an output power of more than 0.5 MW. The Russian 170-GHz ITER gyrotron obtained 0.99 (1.2) MW with a pulse duration of 1000 (100) s and 53% efficiency. The prototype tube of the European 2-MW, 170-GHz coaxial-cavity gyrotron achieved in short pulses the record power of 2.2 MW at 48% efficiency and 96% Gaussian mode purity. Gyrotrons with pulsed magnet for various short-pulse applications deliver Pout = 210 kW with τ = 20 μs at frequencies up to 670 GHz (η ≅ 20%), Pout = 5.3 kW at 1 THz (η = 6.1%), and Pout = 0.5 kW at 1.3 THz (η = 0.6%). Gyrotron oscillators have also been successfully used in materials processing. Such technological applications require tubes with the following parameters: f > 24 GHz, Pout = 4–50 kW, CW, η > 30%. The CW powers produced by gyroklystrons and FEMs are 10 kW (94 GHz) and 36 W (15 GHz), respectively. The IR FEL at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in the USA obtained a record average power of 14.2 kW at a wavelength of 1.6 μm. The THz FEL (NOVEL) at the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics in Russia achieved a maximum average power of 0.5 kW at wavelengths 50–240 μm (6.00–1.25 THz).

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State-of-the-Art of High-Power Gyro-Devices and Free Electron Masers

Gyrodevice oscillators and amplifiers (or gyro-oscillators and gyro-amplifiers) are being utilized in a variety of applications where high power levels are required at millimeter-wave frequencies. Gyro-oscillators, developed primarily for magnetic fusion research applications, have achieved power levels near 1 MW for pulse durations in excess of 1 s at frequencies above 100 GHz. Continued work on these devices should enable them to achieve continuous-wave operation at multimegawatt power levels at frequencies in the 100-GHz to 200-GHz range, thereby meeting the requirements of planned magnetic fusion experiments. The development of gyro-oscillators for fusion experiments has led to the utilization of the devices in several industrial applications, such as ceramic sintering and metal joining. Activities in this area involve adapting the oscillators to the industrial environment where reliability, efficiency, and ease of operation are paramount. Gyro-amplifiers are being developed for applications requiring phase coherence and instantaneous bandwidth, such as in linear accelerators and millimeter-wave radar. Impressive results from X-band to W-band already suggest the promise of these devices. Potential new applications and novel gyrodevice design approaches continue to attract the attention of researchers around the world.

Characteristics and applications of fast-wave gyrodevices

Free‐electron laser (FEL) theory and experiments are reviewed. The physical mechanism responsible for the generation of coherent radiation in the FEL is described and the fundamental role of the ponderomotive wave in bunching and trapping the beam is emphasized. The relationship of the FEL interaction to the beam–plasma interaction is pointed out. Various FEL operating regimes are discussed. These include the high‐gain Compton and Raman regimes, both with and without an axial guiding magnetic field. The linear and nonlinear regimes are examined in detail, with particular emphasis on techniques for achieving efficiency enhancement. The quality of the electron beam used to drive FEL’s is a critical factor in determining their gain and efficiency. The subject of electron beam quality, for different accelerators, is discussed. Key proof‐of‐principle experiments for FELs in an axial guiding magnetic field, as well as those driven by induction linacs, rf linacs, electrostatic accelerators, and storage rings, are reviewed. Finally, the requirements on wigglers and resonators are discussed.

A review of free‐electron lasers

We have substantially increased the output power and extraction efficiency of a free-electron laser operating at 34.6 GHz by tapering the wiggler magnetic field. In the exponential-gain regime, the laser exhibited a measured gain of 34 dB/m. With a 50-kW input signal, the amplifier saturated in 1.3 m with a 180-MW output signal. By using a taper that brought the magnetic field at the end of the wiggler down to 45% of its initial (peak) value, we increased the output signal to 1.0 GW. This corresponds to an extraction efficiency of 34%.

High-efficiency extraction of microwave radiation from a tapered-wiggler free-electron laser.

A new and relatively simple method has been developed to focus and guide electron beams without the use of a magnetic field. The scheme relies on the electrostatic charging of a highly resistive wire in the presence of a beam. The beam is then strongly guided and focused by the oppositely charged wire. In addition, the highly anharmonic nature of the wire potential leads to rapid phase-mix damping of transverse beam displacements and radial pulsations.

Electron-Beam Guiding and Phase-Mix Damping by an Electrostatically Charged Wire

Design and Initial Operation of the ETA-II Induction Accelerator

The Experimental Test Accelerator II (ETA-II) is the first induction linac designed specifically to FEL requirements. It is primarily intended to demonstrate induction accelerator technology for high-average-power, high-brightness electron beams, and will be used to drive a 140 and 250 GHz microwave FEL for plasma heating experiments in the Microwave Tokamak Experiment (MTX) at LLNL. Its features include high-vacuum design which allows the use of an intrinsically bright dispenser cathode, induction cells designed to minimize BBU growth rate, and careful attention to magnetic alignment to minimize radial sweep due to beam corkscrew. The use of magnetic switches allows high-average-power operation. At present ETA-II is being used to drive 140 GHz plasma heating experiments. These experiments require nominal beam parameters of 6 MeV energy, 2 kA current, 20 ns pulse width and a brightness of 1 × 108 A/(m rad)2 at the wiggler with a pulse repetition frequency (prf) of 0.5 Hz. Future 250 GHz experiments require beam parameters of 10 MeV energy, 3 kA current, 50 ns pulse width and a brightness of 1 × 108 A/(m rad)2 with a 5 kHz prf for 0.5 s. In this paper we discuss the present status of ETA-II parameters and the phased development program necessary to satisfy these future requirements.

The ETA-II induction linac as a high-average-power FEL driver☆

The Experimental Test Accelerator II (ETA-II) is the first induction linac designed specifically to FEL requirements. It is primarily intended to demonstrate induction accelerator technology for high-average-power, high-brightness electron beams, and will be used to drive a 140 and 250 GHz microwave FEL for plasma heating experiments in the Microwave Tokamak Experiment (MTX) at LLNL. Its features include high-vacuum design which allows the use of an intrinsically bright dispenser cathode, induction cells designed to minimize BBU growth rate, and careful attention to magnetic alignment to minimize radial sweep due to beam corkscrew. The use of magnetic switches allows high-average-power operation. At present ETA-II is being used to drive 140 GHz plasma heating experiments. These experiments require nominal beam parameters of 6 MeV energy, 2 kA current, 20 ns pulse width and a brightness of 1x10/sup 8/ A/(m rad)/sup 2/ at the wiggler with a pulse repetition frequency (prf) of 0.5 Hz. Future 250 GHz experiments require beam parameters of 10 MeV energy, 3 kA current, 50 ns pulse width and a brightness of 1x10/sup 8/ A/(m rad)/sup 2/ with a 5 kHz prf for 0.5 s. In this paper we discuss the present status of ETA-II parameters and the phased development program necessary to satisfy these future requirements.

J.C. Clark

Papers

High-efficiency extraction of microwave radiation from a tapered-wiggler free-electron laser.

Electron-Beam Guiding and Phase-Mix Damping by an Electrostatically Charged Wire

Design and Initial Operation of the ETA-II Induction Accelerator

The ETA-II induction linac as a high-average-power FEL driver☆

The ETA-II Induction Linac as a High-Average-Power FEL Driver