A pseudospark cathode Cherenkov maser: theory and experiment

H Yin, A.D.R Phelps, W He, G.R.M Robb, K Ronald, P Aitken, B.W.J McNeil, A.W Cross, C.G Whyte

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30 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

The pseudospark discharge offers the possibility of producing electron beams which are very attractive for use in high-power microwave generation. A pseudospark-based Cherenkov maser amplifier is currently under development at Strathclyde University. The electron beam source for this maser is a multi-gap pseudospark discharge. Preliminary results from recent Cherenkov maser experiments and a comparison with a numerical simulation are presented. A microwave pulse of 100 ns duration and approximately 10 kW peak power was generated by a 80 kV, 20 A beam passed through an alumina-lined waveguide when the interaction was allowed to start up from noise, which appeared to originate from the pseudospark discharge. Simulations agree well with the experimental results when a beam energy spread of 1.5% is assumed.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)175-180
Number of pages6
JournalNuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
Volume407
Issue number1-3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 28 Apr 1998

Keywords

  • pseudospark
  • Cherenkov
  • maser

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