Efficient, 0.35-THz Overmoded Oscillator Based on a Two-Dimensional Periodic Surface Lattice

Abstract

We present the theory, design, and numerical modeling of a cylindrical, two-dimensional periodic surface lattice (2D-PSL) intended for use as the interaction region of an electron beam-driven, pulsed source. The production of 1.95-MW peak, pulsed 0.35-THz radiation with an electronic efficiency of 24% is reported. Mode selection in the oversized cavity, where the diameter D is almost <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$3.5\times $ </tex-math></inline-formula> larger than the operating wavelength <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\lambda $ </tex-math></inline-formula> , is achieved by coupling volume and surface fields to form a coupled cavity eigenmode. We demonstrate the advantages (including enhanced output power and improved spectral purity) of using a 2D-PSL over a simpler 1-D structure. The cylindrical <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${D}/\lambda \sim {3.5} 2\text{D}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> -PSL demonstrates the “proof-of-principle” high-order mode coupling with the potential to increase <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${D}/\lambda $ </tex-math></inline-formula> to values of 20 or more for the realization of CW 2D-PSL sources or very powerful pulsed sources. The theory is applicable over a broad frequency range.