Nonlinearly driven oscillations in the gyrotron traveling-wave amplifier

Journal Article · Mon Dec 15 00:00:00 EST 2008 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3050073· OSTI ID:21259741

Chiu, C C; Pao, K F; Yan, Y C; Chu, K R ^[1]; Barnett, L R; Luhmann, Jr, N C ^[2]

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1. Department of Physics, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan (China)
2. Department of Applied Science, University of California, Davis, Davis, California 95616 (United States)

By delivering unprecedented power and gain, the gyrotron traveling-wave amplifier (gyro-TWT) offers great promise for advanced millimeter wave radars. However, the underlying physics of this complex nonlinear system is yet to be fully elucidated. Here, we report a new phenomenon in the form of nonlinearly driven oscillations. A zero-drive stable gyro-TWT is shown to be susceptible to a considerably reduced dynamic range at the band edge, followed by a sudden transition into driven oscillations and then a hysteresis effect. An analysis of this unexpected behavior and its physical interpretation are presented.

• OSTI ID: 21259741
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 15, Issue 12; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3050073; (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
MICROWAVE AMPLIFIERS
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
PLASMA
PLASMA WAVES
TRAVELLING WAVE TUBES
TRAVELLING WAVES