Early quasioptics of near-millimeter and submillimeter waves in IRE-Kharkov, Ukraine: from ideas to the microwave pioneer award

This paper is about the early quasioptics of near-millimeter and submillimeter waves in IRE-Kharkov (Institute of Radio Physics and Electronics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine) and the development of the hollow dielectric beam-waveguide (HDB) technology and measuring techniques of the near-millimeter and submillimeter wavelength ranges, with main application in hot plasma diagnostics. It presents the details of the development based on the declassified reports and the interviews of Y.M. Kuleshov and another key member of the quasioptics (QO) team, M. S. Yanovski. Y.M. Kuleshov and his team had already accumulated rich experience in developing waveguide measuring devices in the whole millimeter-wave range between 1954 and 1961. In 19941996, the research project "Ozero" was carried out with Y.M. Kuleshov as a principal investigator. The aim of the "Ozero" was to explore the feasibility of developing a kit of HDB-based measuring devices in the wavelength range (lambda) = 0.7 to 1.7 mm. After the finish of "Ozero", in 1968-1971, the next R&D project called "Oliva" was granted by the same directorate of MRI. Its idea was to dwell on and refine the polarization principles in the measuring circuits for (lambda) = 0.5-0.8 mm. HDB was patented only in 1969. Since the 1970s, the activities of the QO department were focused entirely on the development of HDB-based instruments and systems. Here, the major application area was hot plasma diagnostics in new large Tokamaks. They also dwelled in the development of the measuring techniques including reflectometry and polarimetry. Other HDB based systems elaborated in IRE include radars in the 1970-1980s and RCS testing ranges in the 1990s.