Microsecond Microwave Radiation Bursts from a Relativistic Electron Beam Rotating in a Plasma

Coherent curvature radiation from an intense relativistic electron beam rotating in a plasma yielded in the past [1] only very short bursts of microwave radiation. Here we report on extension of the microwave-burst duration to the full width of the beam pulse for two different electron beams: a) 1 MV, 50 kA, 110 ns b) 0.6 MW, 15 kA, 1 , μs. We show that the short bursts in the past resulted from sudden changes in the plasma density caused by ionization of neutrals, present in the drift tube, by the beam itself. This density change caused a shift away from the resonance condition necessary for coherent radiation. The extension of the pulsewidth was achieved by introducing a plasma gun which did not emit many neutrals. The radiation is mostly in the Ka band (λ ≅ 1 cm) and the power level was ~1 MW.