Mode conversation losses in overmolded millimeter wave transmission lines

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2008.Includes bibliographical references (p. 106-109).Millimeter wave transmission lines are integral components for many important applications like nuclear fusion and NMR spectroscopy. In low loss corrugated transmission lines propagating the HE,1 mode with a high waveguide radius to wavelength ratio (a/X), the transmission line loss is predominantly a result of mode conversion in components such as miter bends. The theory for determining losses in miter bends though is only approximate, and is based instead on the problem of the loss across a diameter-length gap between two waveguide sections. Through simulation, we verified that the existing analytic theory of this gap loss is correct; however, our simulations could not verify the assumption that the miter bend loss is half the loss in the gap. We also considered the problem of higher order modes (HOMs) mixed with an HE11 input entering the miter bend. Using a numerical technique, we found that the loss through the miter bend is dependent on both the amplitude of the HOM content as well as its phase relative to the phase of the HE11 mode. While the overall loss averaged across all phases remains the same with increasing HOM content, the power that fails to traverse the gap tends to increase, and it is this power that appears as very high order modes that will cause heating around the miter bend. For the ITER transmission line, the loss based on gap theory is 0.027 dB and, using a coherent technique, we measured a loss of 0.05 + 0.02 dB with a vector network analyzer (VNA).(cont.) We also set out to measure the mode conversion caused by a miter bend by using a 3-axis scanner system to measure the field patterns within the ITER waveguide. Due to the presence of higher order modes output by the HE I launcher, definitive results on the mode conversion attributed to the miter bend could not be obtained. Using a phase retrieval code, we were able to calculate the mode purity of the launcher output and found it to be 98 + 0.5 %. Future work will concentrate on reducing this HOM content to enable measurements of the miter bend mode conversion.by David S. Tax.S.M

Experimental study of a high efficiency step-tunable MW gyrotron oscillator

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2013.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 191-205).The gyrotron is a source capable of producing megawatt power levels at millimeter-wave frequencies for many important applications, including electron cyclotron heating and current drive in magnetic fusion devices. It is important that the gyrotron operates with high efficiency and provides a high quality output beam to minimize system size, maximize reliability and avoid additional losses in external systems. This thesis presents the experimental study of such a gyrotron designed to operate at MW power levels and whose initial 110 GHz operation was expanded to include operation at 124.5 GHz. To this end, a new set of components, including a cavity, mode converter, and output window were designed for operation at both frequencies. The cavity was designed using the code MAGY and the Q factors of 830 for the TE22,6,1mode at 110 GHz and 1060 for the TE24,7,1 mode at 124.5 GHz would be suitable for CW operation in an industrial gyrotron. The mode converter consisting of a dimpled-wall launcher and 4 phasecorrecting mirrors could theoretically produce an output beam with 99 % Gaussian beam content at each frequency while a single-disc window was implemented with over 99.5 % power transmission at both frequencies. The achieved output power in experiment was 1.1 MW at 110 GHz and 850 kW at 124.5 GHz for the design parameters of 96 kV and 40 A. At 98 kV and 42 A, the gyrotron achieved 1.25 MW and 1 MW at 110 and 124.5 GHz, respectively. Mode competition is typically a major limitation in such gyrotrons, and stable single-mode operation was demonstrated at both frequencies. At 110 GHz, the output beam had 98.8 % Gaussian beam content, while at 124.5 GHz, the output beam quality was 94.4 %. Another experiment within this thesis demonstrated the implementation of a mode converter with smooth mirrors that would be less susceptible to machining and misalignment errors. A Gaussian beam content of 96 % was measured in that experiment. In addition, a thorough study of the gyrotron start-up scenario was performed, for which experimental work had been lacking in the literature. The start-up scenario is the sequence of modes that are excited during the rise of the voltage pulse and is essential for the gyrotron to operate in its most efficient regime known as the hard self-excitation regime. This gyrotron operates nominally in the TE22,6,1 mode near the 110 GHz cutoff frequency with an axial field profile that is approximately Gaussian at the steady-state peak voltage. In experiments performed in the smooth mirror mode converter configuration, lower frequency modes were observed at lower voltages as opposed to higher frequency modes as predicted by theory. Analysis of these modes showed that they are backward-wave modes far from their cutoff frequency which have higher order axial field profiles, i.e. TE21,6,3 and TE21,6,4 modes at frequencies of 108-109 GHz. The excitation of these modes was investigated and shown to be possible by using theory and single-mode simulations with the code MAGY. This discovery was important as these modes were not included in past code runs, and thus future improvements can be made to incorporate this effect.by David S. Tax.Ph.D

Calculation and measurement of higher order mode losses in ITER ECH transmission lines

The ITER transmission lines (TLs) must be designed to deliver 20 MW from a 24 MW, 170 GHz gyrotron system. Miter bends are the main source of loss for these highly overmoded, corrugated, cylindrical waveguide TLs. Previous estimates have used only a pure HE[subscript 11] mode for the analysis of the loss due to a miter bend, however higher order modes (HOMs) must be considered for a practical analysis. For the linearly-polarized, Gaussian-like beam from a gyrotron, the LP[subscript mn] mode basis set should be used to describe the fields in the corrugated waveguide. The HOM content greatly affects the propagation of HE[subscript 11] content in a miter bend, with a large emphasis placed on the percentage of HOMs and the phase difference between HE[subscript 11] and each HOM. By considering LP modes, a complete basis set is used to investigate the HOM effects on HE11 loss in a miter bend. We also present a new conservation theorem relating the power centroid offset and propagation angle due to any two LP[subscript mn] modes propagating in the corrugated waveguide

Novel linear analysis for a gyrotron oscillator based on a spectral approach

With the aim of gaining a better physical insight into linear regimes in gyrotrons, a new linear model was developed. This model is based on a spectral approach for solving the self-consistent system of equations describing the wave-particle interaction in the cavity of a gyrotron oscillator. Taking into account the wall-losses self-consistently and including the main system inhomogeneities in the cavity geometry and in the magnetic field, the model is appropriate to consider real system parameters. The main advantage of the spectral approach, compared with a time-dependent approach, is the possibility to describe all of the stable and unstable modes, respectively, with negative and positive growth rates. This permits to reveal the existence of a new set of eigenmodes, in addition to the usual eigenmodes issued from cold-cavity modes. The proposed model can be used for studying other instabilities such as, for instance, backward waves potentially excited in gyrotron beam tunnels.United States. Department of Energy. Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (Grant DE-FC02-93ER54186

The challenge of mapping the human connectome based on diffusion tractography

Tractography based on non-invasive diffusion imaging is central to the study of human brain connectivity. To date, the approach has not been systematically validated in ground truth studies. Based on a simulated human brain data set with ground truth tracts, we organized an open international tractography challenge, which resulted in 96 distinct submissions from 20 research groups. Here, we report the encouraging finding that most state-of-the-art algorithms produce tractograms containing 90% of the ground truth bundles (to at least some extent). However, the same tractograms contain many more invalid than valid bundles, and half of these invalid bundles occur systematically across research groups. Taken together, our results demonstrate and confirm fundamental ambiguities inherent in tract reconstruction based on orientation information alone, which need to be considered when interpreting tractography and connectivity results. Our approach provides a novel framework for estimating reliability of tractography and encourages innovation to address its current limitations

The challenge of mapping the human connectome based on diffusion tractography

Tractography based on non-invasive diffusion imaging is central to the study of human brain connectivity. To date, the approach has not been systematically validated in ground truth studies. Based on a simulated human brain data set with ground truth tracts, we organized an open international tractography challenge, which resulted in 96 distinct submissions from 20 research groups. Here, we report the encouraging finding that most state-of-the-art algorithms produce tractograms containing 90% of the ground truth bundles (to at least some extent). However, the same tractograms contain many more invalid than valid bundles, and half of these invalid bundles occur systematically across research groups. Taken together, our results demonstrate and confirm fundamental ambiguities inherent in tract reconstruction based on orientation information alone, which need to be considered when interpreting tractography and connectivity results. Our approach provides a novel framework for estimating reliability of tractography and encourages innovation to address its current limitations