Powerful Cherenkov oscillators with 2D distributed feedback

Abstract

The feasibility of using 2D distributed feedback based on 2D planar and coaxial Bragg structures for generating spatially coherent radiation from rectilinear ribbon and tubular electron beams is studied. One-section and sectional Cherenkov masers are analyzed. In the former design, a 2D Bragg structure acts as a resonator and a periodic slow-wave system simultaneously. In the latter (sectional) design, radiation is synchronized in a 2D Bragg structure that is placed at the cathode end of the interaction space and couples longitudinal and transverse (azimuthal) wave flows. The wave is amplified by the electron beam mainly in the fairly long middle section. The output (collector) part contains a standard 1D Bragg structure that partially reflects the amplified radiation toward the cathode and closes the feedback circuit. It is shown that dissipation introduced into the 2D Bragg structure of the sectional design makes it possible to increase one of the transverse sizes of the system to ∼103 wavelengths with the energy exchange efficiency and one-frequency masing mode stability remaining the same. With such an overdimension, the millimeter-wave radiation integral power may reach a gigawatt level.