Design of a Source for GHz Ultra-Wide Bandwidth Applications Using the Two-Stream Instability

A novel source for millimeter-wave RF is being designed at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) utilizing the two-stream instability. This source has the potential for consistent output power over a large bandwidth on a single device [1]. The characteristic length of longitudinal bunching due to the two stream instability is dependent along with current, on the energy difference of the two beams[6]. The source is optimized for 1–5kV energy differential between the electron beams coupled into a single solenoid using electrostatic focusing in the electron gun region. The source will use co-axial electron beams to evaluate the longitudinal bunching of the at millimeter wavelengths.