Production of Microwaves with an Intense Relativistic Sheet Electron Beam

There has been a great deal of interest in the production of high power microwaves in the mm and sub mm bands using high current relativistic electron beams. Coherent radiation from the cyclotron maser configuration has been produced at powers in excess of 100 MW in the Ku band [1], 8 MW in the Ka band, and 1 MW in the V band [2]. We report here on an investigation into the radiation produced by the interaction of an intense REB with a slow wave structure. In this case, both the beam and the structure are of rectangular cross section. The structure is open at the sides; thus the dispersion characteristics of the guide are independent of its width. This allows an arbitrary choice for the structure and beam width, and makes possible a reduction in the usual scaling of power with the frequency from P α 1/f
^5/2
to P α 1/f
^3/2
.