Heating of Micro-protrusions in Accelerating Structures

The thermal and field emission of electrons from protrusions on metal surfaces is a possible limiting factor on the performance and operation of high-gradient room temperature accelerator structures. We present here the results of extensive numerical simulations of electrical and thermal behavior of protrusions. We unify the thermal and field emission in the same numerical framework, describe bounds for the emission current and geometric enhancement, then we calculate the Nottingham and Joule heating terms and solve the heat equation to characterize the thermal evolution of emitters under RF electric field. Our findings suggest that, heating is entirely due to the Nottingham effect, that thermal runaway scenarios are not likely, and that high RF frequency causes smaller swings in temperature and cooler tips. We build a phenomenological model to account for the effect of space charge and show that space charge eliminates the possibility of tip melting, although near melting temperatures reached.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figure

Cold testing of quasi-optical mode converters using a generator for non-rotating high-order gyrotron modes

In this paper, we test the performance of a quasi-optical, internal-gyrotron mode converter. When cold testing mode converters, a rotating higher-order mode is commonly used. However, this requires a nontrivial design and precise alignment. We thus propose a new technique for testing gyrotron mode converters by using a simple, non-rotating, higher-order mode generator. We demonstrate the feasibility of this technique for a W-band gyrotron quasi-optical mode converter by examining the excitation of a TE6,2 mode from a non-rotating mode generator. Our results demonstrate that this new cold-test scheme is an easy and efficient method for verifying the performance of quasi-optical mode converters.open0

Multi-transmission-line-beam interactive system

We construct here a Lagrangian field formulation for a system consisting of an electron beam interacting with a slow-wave structure modeled by a possibly non-uniform multiple transmission line (MTL). In the case of a single line we recover the linear model of a traveling wave tube (TWT) due to J.R. Pierce. Since a properly chosen MTL can approximate a real waveguide structure with any desired accuracy, the proposed model can be used in particular for design optimization. Furthermore, the Lagrangian formulation provides for: (i) a clear identification of the mathematical source of amplification, (ii) exact expressions for the conserved energy and its flux distributions obtained from the Noether theorem. In the case of uniform MTLs we carry out an exhaustive analysis of eigenmodes and find sharp conditions on the parameters of the system to provide for amplifying regimes

Coherent Cherenkov-Cyclotron Radiation Excited by an Electron Beam in a Metamaterial Waveguide

An electron beam passing through a metamaterial structure is predicted to generate reversed Cherenkov radiation, an unusual and potentially very useful property. We present an experimental test of this phenomenon using an intense electron beam passing through a metamaterial loaded waveguide. Power levels of up to 5 MW are observed in backward wave modes at a frequency of 2.40 GHz using a one microsecond pulsed electron beam of 490 keV, 84 A in a 400 G magnetic field. Contrary to expectations, the output power is not generated in the Cherenkov mode. Instead, the presence of the magnetic field, which is required to transport the electron beam, induces a Cherenkov-cyclotron (or anomalous Doppler) instability at a frequency equal to the Cherenkov frequency minus the cyclotron frequency. Nonlinear simulations indicate that the Cherenkov-cyclotron mode should dominate over the Cherenkov instability at a lower magnetic field where the highest output power is obtained.United States. Air Force Office of Scientific Research. Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (Grant FA9550-12-1-0489

Possible role of rf melted microparticles on the operation of high-gradient accelerating structures

High-gradient accelerating structures should operate reliably for a long time. Therefore studies of various processes which may lead to disruption of such an operation are so important. In the present paper, the dissipation of rf electromagnetic energy in metallic microparticles is analyzed accounting for the temperature dependence of the skin depth. Such particles may appear in structures, for example, due to mechanical fracture of irises in strong rf electric fields. It is shown that such microparticles with dimensions on the order of the skin depth, being immersed in the region of strong rf magnetic field, can absorb enough energy in long-pulse operation to be melted. Then, the melted clumps can impinge on the surface of a structure and create nonuniformities leading to field enhancement and corresponding emission of dark current. Results are given for several geometries and materials of microparticles