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

In this paper, we present some of the most significant recent results that characterize the state of the art in the development of sub-THz and THz gyrotrons at IAP-RAS and FIR-UF after 15 years of collaboration as well as their applications in various novel and prospective research fields and advanced technologies.

Development of THz Gyrotrons at IAP RAS and FIR UF and Their Applications in Physical Research and High-Power THz Technologies

Powerful sources of coherent radiation in the sub-terahertz and in the terahertz frequency range of the electromagnetic spectrum are necessary for a great and continuously expanding number of applications in the physical research and in various advanced technological processes as well as in radars, communication systems, for remote sensing and inspection etc.. In recent years, a spectacular progress in the development of various gyro-devices and in particular of the powerful high frequency (sub-terahertz and terahertz) gyrotron oscillators has demonstrated a remarkable potential for bridging the so-called terahertz power gap and stimulated many novel and prospective applications. In this review paper we outline two series of such devices, namely the Gyrotron FU Series which includes pulsed gyrotrons and Gyrotron FU CW Series which consist of tubes operated in a CW (continuous wave) or long pulse mode, both developed at the FIR FU Center. We present the most remarkable achievements of these devices and illustrate their applications by some characteristic examples. An outlook for the further extension of the Gyrotron FU CW Series is also provided.

Development and Applications of High—Frequency Gyrotrons in FIR FU Covering the sub-THz to THz Range

Synergistic effects of silica aerogels/xerogels on properties of polymer composites: A review

This report gives an update of the worldwide experimental achievements in the development of long-pulse gyrotron oscillators for fusion plasma heating, plasma diagnostics and materials processing. In addition, this work gives a short overview of the present development status of coaxial-cavity multi-megawatt gyrotrons, gyrotrons for technological and spectroscopy applications, relativistic gyrotrons, quasi-optical gyrotrons, cyclotron autoresonance masers, gyro-amplifiers, gyro-BWO's, free electron masers and of vacuum windows for such high-power mm-wave sources.

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State-of-the-Art of High Power Gyro-Devices and Free Electron Masers. Update 2011. (KIT Scientific Reports ; 7606)

In this paper, we present and discuss experimental results from a microwave sintering of a silica-glass ceramic, produced from a silica xerogel extracted from a sago waste ash. As a radiation source for the microwave heating a sub-millimeter wave gyrotron (Gyrotron FU CW I) with an output frequency of 300 GHz has been used. The powders of silica xerogel have been dry pressed and then sintered at temperatures ranging from 300°C to 1500°C. The influence of the sintering temperature on the technological properties such as porosity and bulk density was studied in detail. Furthermore, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy have been used in order to study the structure of the produced silica glass-ceramics. It has been found that the silica xerogel crystallizes at a temperature of 800°C, which is about 200°C lower than the one observed in the conventional process. The silica xerogel samples sintered by their irradiation with a sub-millimeter wave at 900°C for 18 minutes are fully crystallized into a silica glass-ceramic with a density of about 2.2 g/cm3 and cristobalite as a major crystalline phase. The results obtained in this study allow one to conclude that the microwave sintering with sub-millimeter waves is an appropriate technological process for production of silica glass-ceramics from a silica xerogel and is characterized with such advantages as shorter times of the thermal cycle, lower sintering temperatures and higher quality of the final product.

Rapid Sintering of Silica Xerogel Ceramic Derived from Sago Waste Ash Using Sub-millimeter Wave Heating with a 300 GHz CW Gyrotron

Positronium is an ideal system for research on QED, especially in a bound state. A discrepancy (3.9σ) is found recently between measured HFS values and the QED prediction (including up-to O(α3 log α − 1), where α is the fine-structure constant.). It might be due to a contribution of unknown new physics or common systematic problems in all the previous measurements. A new method to measure HFS directly is performed using a high power gyrotron. The transition from ortho-positronium to para-positronium has been observed with 5 σ CL, which is the first observation of M1 transition in (sub)Terahertz region. New technologies of high power gyrotrons are developed for precision spectroscopy.

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Direct Measurement of Positronium HyperFine Structure: ∼ A New Horizon of Precision Spectroscopy Using Gyrotrons ∼

In the present investigation, nanocrystalline silica xerogel (NSX) powders were produced from an amorphous silica xerogel (ASX) extracted from sago waste ash. The NSX powders have been calcined at 1200oC, milled and then annealed at temperatures ranging from a room temperature to 1200oC. Their properties (and most notably the size of the particles) have been characterized on the basis of the experimental data obtained using thermal analysis (DSC/TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Infrared and Raman spectroscopy. For the crystalline silica xerogel powders the results show a narrow distribution of the particle sizes centered around an average value of 636  67 nm. The DSC analysis of NSX indicates that in the temperature range from a room temperature to 300oC five distinct stages of the crystallization process take place, which are delimited by the transition temperature of 38oC, 92oC, 129oC, 168oC, and 246oC, respectively. Above 300oC, the crystalline phase is similar to an amorphous silica xerogel (ASX), i.e. cristoballite-like and tridymite-like crystalline silica phases confirmed by the XRD analysis. It has been observed that the characteristic band of cristoballite is strongly dependent on the thermal history and the NSX transforms into a stable form at a temperature of 1200oC. Both the Raman and the FTIR spectra elucidate the bonding system of the constituent atoms and groups (such as Si, O and OH) and throw light on their underlying structure. The obtained results are important for optimization of the parameters of the technological processes for production of nanocrystalline silica glass ceramics used as a host matrix for luminescence materials, each of which requires a specific porosity and structure.

Microstructural and Thermal Properties of Nanocrystalline Silica Xerogel Powders Converted from Sago Waste Ash Material

The Progress in the Studies of Mode Interaction in Gyrotrons

Positronium is an ideal system for the research of the QED. The hyperfine splitting of positronium (Ps-HFS) is sensitive to the new physics beyond the Standard Model via a vacuum oscillation. Previous experimental results of the Ps-HFS show 3.5 σ discrepancy from the QED calculation, and it might be caused by uncertainties of the indirect method with static magnetic field and a few GHz RF. We developed a new direct measurement system of the Ps-HFS without static magnetic field, using a sub-THz gyrotron and a quasi-optical Fabry-Perot cavity. Status (hopefully the first result) of the direct positronium hyperfine transition observation will be presented.

S. Sabchevski

Papers

Rapid Sintering of Silica Xerogel Ceramic Derived from Sago Waste Ash Using Sub-millimeter Wave Heating with a 300 GHz CW Gyrotron

Direct Measurement of Positronium HyperFine Structure: ∼ A New Horizon of Precision Spectroscopy Using Gyrotrons ∼

Microstructural and Thermal Properties of Nanocrystalline Silica Xerogel Powders Converted from Sago Waste Ash Material

The Progress in the Studies of Mode Interaction in Gyrotrons

The first direct measurement of the hyperfine splitting in positronium