Electron-wave Interaction Research Articles

Whistler wave occurrence and the interaction with strahl electrons during the first encounter of Parker Solar Probe

Aims.We studied the properties and occurrence of narrowband whistler waves and their interaction with strahl electrons observed between 0.17 and 0.26 au during the first encounter of Parker Solar Probe.Methods.We used Digital Fields Board band-pass filtered (BPF) data from FIELDS to detect the signatures of whistler waves. Additionally parameters derived from the particle distribution functions measured by the Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons (SWEAP) instrument suite were used to investigate the plasma properties, and FIELDS suite measurements were used to investigate the electromagnetic (EM) fields properties corresponding to the observed whistler signatures.Results.We observe that the occurrence of whistler waves is low, nearly ~1.5% and less than 0.5% in the analyzed peak and average BPF data, respectively. Whistlers occur highly intermittently and 80% of the whistlers appear continuously for less than 3 s. The spacecraft frequencies of the analyzed waves are less than 0.2 electron cyclotron frequency (fce). The occurrence rate of whistler waves was found to be anticorrelated with the solar wind bulk velocity. The study of the duration of the whistler intervals revealed an anticorrelation between the duration and the solar wind velocity, as well as between the duration and the normalized amplitude of magnetic field variations. The pitch-angle widths (PAWs) of the field-aligned electron population referred to as the strahl are broader by at least 12 degrees during the presence of large amplitude narrowband whistler waves. This observation points toward an EM wave electron interaction, resulting in pitch-angle scattering. PAWs of strahl electrons corresponding to the short duration whistlers are higher compared to the long duration whistlers, indicating short duration whistlers scatter the strahl electrons better than the long duration ones. Parallel cuts through the strahl electron velocity distribution function (VDF) observed during the whistler intervals appear to depart from the Maxwellian shape typically found in the near-Sun strahl VDFs. The relative decrease in the parallel electron temperature and the increase in PAW for the electrons in the strahl energy range suggests that the interaction with whistler waves results in a transfer of electron momentum from the parallel to the perpendicular direction.

On the voltage–current optimization in high-harmonic gyrotrons

In low-power short-wavelength gyrotrons with weak intensity of the electron–wave interaction, determining of the optimal parameters of the system is a result of a trade-off between the enhancement of the electron efficiency and the increase in the Ohmic loss share with an increasing cavity length. In this paper, we investigate the question of whether it is more advantageous to use operating regimes with a higher current at a fixed electron beam power, or whether it is better to increase the accelerating voltage. The answer to the question is determined strictly by the number of the operating cyclotron harmonic of the gyrotron.

Numerical modeling of highly sensitive resonant detection of THz radiation using a multichannel dispersive plasmonic HEMT

The resonant detection of terahertz radiation using a dispersive AlN/GaN multichannel high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) is analyzed and modeled in this paper. The proposed full-wave model is based on the concurrent solution of the complete hydrodynamic model (CHM) and Maxwell’s equations. The CHM is derived from the first three moments of the Boltzmann transport equation (BTE). Considering the variations of the electron temperature and transport parameters along the HEMT channel, this model well characterizes the electron–wave interaction in the device for both low- and high-field conditions. Moreover, the effect of the optical phonon modes of the GaN buffer, which cannot be ignored in the target terahertz frequency band, is described using the Lorentz dispersive model. Employing the developed model, the transmission spectrum of the device is extracted numerically using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method for grating-gate single-, double-, and three-channel HEMT structures. The results show that, at a lattice temperature of 300 K for a GaN grating-gate HEMT with gate periodicity of 680 nm and gate width of 520 nm, at given resonance frequency and overall electron concentration, the resonance depth improves by about 2.7 dB in the three- compared with the single-channel structure. Moreover, it is shown that the detection performance of such a structure at 300 K is similar to the single-channel HEMT at a reduced temperature of 120 K. Therefore, the multichannel HEMTs can show notably improved resonant detection performance, enabling the design of resonant detectors with enhanced sensitivity at room temperature.

Numerical Modeling of the Processes of Electron-Wave Interaction in the Cavities of High-Power Gyrotrons With a Frequency of 300 GHz

Numerical Modeling of the Processes of Electron-Wave Interaction in the Cavities of High-Power Gyrotrons With a Frequency of 300 GHz

Lower-Hybrid Drift Waves Driving Electron Nongyrotropic Heating and Vortical Flows in a Magnetic Reconnection Layer.

We report measurements of lower-hybrid drift waves driving electron heating and vortical flows in an electron-scale reconnection layer under a guide field. Electrons accelerated by the electrostatic potential of the waves exhibit perpendicular and nongyrotropic heating. The vortical flows generate magnetic field perturbations comparable to the guide field magnitude. The measurements reveal a new regime of electron-wave interaction and how this interaction modifies the electron dynamics in the reconnection layer.

The regime of multi-stage trapping in free-electron lasers operating in the super-radiant and SASE regimes

The use of electron–wave interaction systems consisting of several tapered sections is considered as a method of efficiency enhancement of free-electron lasers (FELs) operating in different regimes of emission of a short wave pulse from a short electron bunch. These regimes are the principally multi-frequency self-amplified spontaneous emission regime traditionally used in short-wavelength FELs and the regime of electron–wave group synchronism, in which super-radiation of a quasi-monochromatic wave packet propagating together with the electron bunch occurs. In both the cases, the use of multi-stage trapping of electrons in the bunch by the radiated wave provides a significant (at least by an order of magnitude) increase in efficiency as compared to the saturated-stage efficiency in regular systems.

On applicability of absorbing rectilinear electron beams in high-frequency gyrotrons operating at cyclotron harmonics

This paper presents the studies of electron–wave interaction in a high-frequency harmonic gyrotron with an additional absorbing rectilinear electron beam. The expression for the starting current of the gyrotron in the presence of an absorbing beam is obtained within the model of a fixed axial field structure. We investigate the effectiveness of mode selection by absorbing beam in gyrotrons with different resonator lengths to wavelength ratios on the basis of simple theory, as well as the results of numerical simulation within a self-consistent model.

Numerical Investigation of the Instability-Based Power Emission from an Ungated Plasmonic HEMT Using Complete Hydrodynamic Model

The full-wave analysis of the Dyakonov–Shur instability in an ungated short-channel high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) is investigated in this paper. This mechanism causes the emission of electromagnetic radiations by the device. The accurate analysis of the device is important especially when large electric fields are present. Herein, to analyze such structures, the complete hydrodynamic model, which is the simultaneous solution of Maxwell’s equations and the first three moments of the Boltzmann transport equation, is used. This model well describes the electron-wave interactions by considering the transport parameter variations with the electron energy and temperature. These variations are especially considerable when the emitter operates at high electromagnetic fields and were not considered in previous studies. The obtained results demonstrate the oscillation current along the channel and consequently the radiated power of the device are severely influenced by the transport parameter variations. The developed analysis method describes the behavior of the device as a terahertz emitter more accurately than the available ones.

Mapping technique for nonlinear electron-wave interactions helps describe space plasma phenomena

Understanding electron interactions with whistler-mode waves can provide insights on radiation belts and space plasma dynamics.

Strong Dispersive Propagation of Terahertz Wave: Time‐Domain Self‐Consistent Modeling of Metallic Wall Losses

AbstractThe dispersion characteristics of electromagnetic waves have led to a wide range of applications, such as pulse compression, superluminal propagation, wave tunneling effect, and electron–wave interaction. The near‐cutoff wave inside a guiding system is strong dispersive. When the wave frequency reaches the terahertz band, this strong dispersive property is extremely sensitive to the losses induced by the limited conductivity of the component. This phenomenon is traditionally investigated through perturbation of boundary conditions in the frequency domain, which does not deal well with broad‐spectrum signals. Two simple and efficient time‐domain schemes to study the strong dispersive propagation of terahertz waves are proposed. One is based on relatively concise principles, called the constant frequency method. The second is the recursive convolution method, which is suitable for dealing with a wave with wider spectrum range. The reliability of both approaches is verified by the comparison of the dispersion curves. Using the proposed methods, the pulse compression of terahertz wave inside a strong dispersive waveguide is verified in principle.

A Magneto-Armored Warm-Solenoid Based System for K-Band Gyrodevices

A magneto-armored system for a new generation of technological complexes based on CW K-band gyrotrons (28–50 GHz), which operate on the main cyclotron resonance with an output power of 25–30 kW or higher, was developed and experimentally tested. The possibility of creating a homogeneous (better than 0.5%) sector of the magnetic field in the region of the electron–wave interaction with a length of several tens of millimeters has been demonstrated. Optimization of the configuration, shapes, and material that were used for the ferromagnetic screens for solenoids with copper windings and working-hole diameters of several tens of millimeters made it possible to obtain record values of constant magnetic fields with respect to the power consumption. For the operating mode with a uniform section of 65 mm and a magnetic-field induction of 1.03 T, the power consumption of the solenoid was 12.5 kW, which makes it possible to significantly (by ~1.5 times) increase the efficiency of the complex as a whole when using a gyrotron with a full radiation efficiency of nearly 50%, which is significantly superior to the existing analogues.

Pumping Systems for Compton Free-Electron Lasers: Microwave Undulators and Powering Sources

The concept of Compton-type free-electron lasers (FELs) operating in short wavelength ranges with a high efficiency and power level is currently underway at the IAP RAS (Nizhny Novgorod). This concept is aimed at reducing the energy of a driving relativistic electron beam and thereby increasing the efficiency of the electron–wave interaction in FELs, as well as making the oscillator relatively compact. The basis of this concept is microwave undulators of a new type—the so-called “flying” undulators. This paper is devoted to the results of the current studies of these undulators, their simulation, and “cold” electrodynamic tests in the Ka band. For powering microwave undulators, a spatially extended narrow-band ˇ Cerenkov surface-wave oscillators (SWOs) are developed in the specified frequency range driven by Sinus-6, a high-current accelerator, with a particle energy of 0.5 MeV, a current of 5 kA, and a pulse duration of 25 ns. The required sub-gigawatt power level of output radiation combined with a high stability of the narrow-band oscillation regime is achieved under conditions of a strongly oversized oscillator by using two-dimensional distributed feedback provided in a 2D doubly-periodic slow-wave structure. The design parameters of a 32 GHz/0.5 GW SWO intended for powering microwave undulators are presented and the results of its simulation and reported.

Analytical Description of Nonlinear Harmonic Generation Close to the Saturation Region in Free Electron Lasers

The phenomenological modeling of nonlinear harmonic generation in single-pass free electron laser (FEL) experiments was performed. The gradual saturation of the harmonic power and its evolution around the saturated regime was modeled. The model includes all major losses for each harmonic with account for the fact that the undulator radiation (UR) and the electron-wave interaction at higher harmonic wavelengths are more sensitive to the beam energy spread, divergence, and other factors. The results of the phenomenological modeling are compared with the experimental data of the corresponding FELs and with the numerical simulation. The proposed description of nonlinear harmonic generation appears to be in good agreement with the FEL experiments SALCA, LEUTL, LCLS, and others under various conditions. The results also match their numerical simulations; in contrast to the latter, our phenomenological model allows rapid, still, and accurate modeling of the FEL harmonic power and bunching evolution with a PC or even an engineering calculator. The model permits studying FEL radiation from undulators with arbitrary magnetic field configuration. Using the analytical FEL model, we demonstrate that, in contrast to the helical undulator, in whose spectrum the fundamental and the second harmonics prevail, the FEL radiation from the elliptical undulator with the third field harmonic has a distinct fifth UR harmonic as well as the fundamental one, whereas other harmonics can be ignored even close to the saturation length.

Experimental Demonstration of the Possibility to Expand the Band of Smooth Tuning of Frequency Generation in Short-Cavity Gyrotrons

We show experimentally the possibility to expand significantly the band of smooth tuning of the generation frequency in gyrotrons using cavities that have shorter lengths. Due to a decrease in the sensitivity of the electron-wave interaction process to the spread in the electron beam velocities, one can increase the power of generation at higher longitudinal modes up to a level comparable with the radiation power in the case of excitation of a mode with one longitudinal variation. In this case, overlapping of generation bands at the neighboring longitudinal modes is achieved by increasing the current of the electron beam. In the experiment performed in a gyrotron having an operating frequency of about 12 GHz, we demonstrated a frequency tuning band which exceeded 4% at the kilowatt level of the output radiation power in its greater part. The obtained results open up the possibility of developing tunable high-frequency moderate-power gyrotrons.

A Moderately Relativistic Subgigawatt Microwave Oscillator of Twistron Type Operating with 50% Efficiency

A regime of quasi-stationary microwave generation in moderately relativistic microwave oscillator of the twistron type with 50 ± 20% efficiency of electron beam power conversion into electromagnetic radiation has been obtained in experiment through optimization of the electron–wave interaction. For the selected electron beam parameters (diode voltage, 210 kV; beam current. 1.36 kA) the output microwave power at 10.63 GHz frequency was 140 ± 40 MW in a guiding magnetic field of about 1.9 T. The duration of microwave pulses was about 16 ns.

Умеренно релятивистский генератор микроволнового излучения субгигаваттного уровня типа твистрон с эффективностью 50%

AbstractA regime of quasi-stationary microwave generation in moderately relativistic microwave oscillator of the twistron type with 50 ± 20% efficiency of electron beam power conversion into electromagnetic radiation has been obtained in experiment through optimization of the electron–wave interaction. For the selected electron beam parameters (diode voltage, 210 kV; beam current. 1.36 kA) the output microwave power at 10.63 GHz frequency was 140 ± 40 MW in a guiding magnetic field of about 1.9 T. The duration of microwave pulses was about 16 ns.

Terahertz Undulator Radiation of Stabilized Dense Electron Beams

Dense short electron bunches produced by state-of-the-art photoinjector-based accelerators are used to create sources of powerful electromagnetic pulses of terahertz frequency range based on spontaneous coherent emission by these bunches. However, there is a problem of stabilizing the phase dimension of a bunch along the space of electron wave interaction. In this work, two means of such stabilization are considered that are based on using the intrinsic electromagnetic fields (quasi-static and radiation) of bunches.

Regime of “multi-stage” trapping in electron masers

For a wide class of electron sources of coherent electromagnetic radiation, we propose a “multi-stage” regime of the electron-wave interaction. The use of this regime in devices with a weak electron-wave interaction has several benefits, namely, a significant increase in the efficiency is achievable, and electron beams with a great velocity spread can be accommodated.

Topological Defects and Interaction of Electron Waves and Localized Magnetic Charge

Topological Defects and Interaction of Electron Waves and Localized Magnetic Charge

TERAHERTZ KLYNOTRON WITH AN AZIMUTHAL COMB

According to theoretical and experimental research of orotrons, which are diffraction radiation oscillators with spatially developed electromagnetic systems, usually being excited by non-relativistic spatially developed electron beams, this class of devices can be successfully used in the practical applications for THz frequency range. One of the major problems to be solved when the efficiency of such sources increases with the shortening of their operation wavelength is how to ensure a high utilization factor of all partial layers of a highly perveance spatially developed electron beam in the electron-wave interaction zone. This can be achieved by increasing the microwave field strength in the energy exchange zone between electrons and electromagnetic waves. The klynotronic effect has been proven to be an efficient way of increasing the utilization factor of all partial cross-sectional layers of a spatially developed electron beam. In this study, we will discuss the mathematically simulated energy characteristics of electron-wave interaction in a radial electron flow orotron with an underlying azimuthal comb serving as a diffraction grating mounted on the useful surface of a flat mirror in a two-mirror open cavity. The results of mathematical simulation and optimization of the energy characteristics of electron-wave interaction in the klynoorotron of the terahertz range made us believe that, due to the klynotronic effect, the electronic efficiency can be increased up to 20% in oscillators of this design.