Cherenkov Ka-Band Oscillator with 45% Efficiency of Beam-to-Microwave Power Conversion

The paper describes a study of a new relativistic microwave Cherenkov generator of millimeter wavelength range with the transverse dimension of the electrodynamic system D>2.5λ, where D is the average diameter of the slow wave structure, and λ is the radiation wavelength. The investigations were carried out with a high-current SINUS-200 electron accelerator at a voltage of 473 kV and an electron beam current of 3.8 kA. The use of several, complementing each other, mechanisms of suppression of parasitic waves provides stable microwave generation at a specified frequency of 36.4 GHz. The microwave power in the experiment 804 MW with 45% beam-to microwave power conversion.