Long-Pulse Operation at Constant Output Power and Single-Frequency Mode of a High-Power Electrostatic Free-Electron Maser with Depressed Collector

Abstract

The Fusion Free-Electron Maser (FFF) is the prototype of a high-power, tunable source of mm-wave radiation, for use on fusion plasma devices. In previous experiments a net output power of 730 kW at 206 GHz was generated in short pulses. The present experiment has been equipped with a system to recover the charge and energy of the spent electron beam. We present experimental results which show output of mm-wave radiation at constant power level during the full pulse length, as well as single-frequency operation; even though the cavity is highly overmoded; the latter is reached by effective suppression of spurious modes by the feedback system. © 2002 The American Physical Society.