Nonlinear theory of beam-wave interaction in the pasotron with a phase-mixed electron beam

Abstract

The nonlinear theory describing the interaction processes in traveling-wave-amplifier (TWT) and backward-wave-oscillator (BWO) configurations of pasotrons is developed. It is shown that space charge forces in electron bunches formed in the process of beam-wave interaction in the pasotron play a role completely different from that in linear-beam devices with a strong magnetic focusing of electron beams. While in the latter devices the space charge forces limit the device efficiency due to saturation of the axial bunching, in the pasotron they do not destroy electron bunches but cause the radial expansion of them, which may increase device efficiency. The role of these forces is compared with the ion focusing and the radial electric field of the wave, and it is shown that, under certain conditions, it may dominate. The efficiency of the pasotron-TWT with a phase-mixed beam well focused at the entrance may exceed 50%. In the pasotron-BWO, the efficiency is lower (up to 26% in the case studied), but it can grow as the equivalent of the Pierce gain parameter increases. © 2006 American Institute of Physics.