A program of high power microwave source research and development from 8 GHz to 600 GHz

We review research results both on a plasma filled, backward wave oscillator (BWO), and on a free electron laser (FEL) driven by a sheet electron beam. Recently, it was demonstrated that a plasma filled BWO driven by an intense relativistic electron beam can generate hundreds of megawatts of microwave radiation at an unusually high efficiency of 40% compared with a typical efficiency of ∼10% in a BWO without a background plasma. Furthermore, the enhanced efficiency can be maintained even for large electron beam currents approaching the vacuum space charge limiting current, and we anticipate this might hold even for larger current values. Theoretical studies and numerical simulations indicate that the enhanced efficiency as well as a lower value for the start oscillation current in the linear regime may be due to the finite length of the BWO circuit coupled with modification of the dispersion relation due to the background plasma. In the case of our FEL studies, we present designs for a 1 MW, CW, tapered FEL amplifier operating at frequencies of 280 GHz and 560 GHz. A short wiggler period (ℓ_w ∼ 1 cm) is combined with a sheet beam of electrons having energy ∼ 1 MeV. Depressed collector techniques would allow the main power supply rating to be reduced to ∼ 200 kV. Efficient sheet beam transport (> 99%) has been demonstrated through 10 wiggler periods, and transport through 60 wiggler periods is currently under study. Finally, plans for a proof-of-principle tapered FEL amplifier experiment at 94 GHz are presented.