Design and experimental operation of a 165-GHz, 1.5-MW, coaxial-cavity gyrotron with axial RF output

The development of a coaxial-cavity gyrotron operating in TE_31,17 mode at 165 GHz is presented. The selection of the operating frequency and mode are based on the limitations imposed by the maximum held of the superconducting (sc) magnet at Forschungzentrum Karlsruhe, Institut fur Technische Physik (FZK), the use of the inverse-magnetron injection gun (IMIG) of the 140-GHz, TE_28,16 coaxial gyrotron and the possibility of transforming the cavity mode to a whispering gallery mode (WGM) appropriate for the dual-beam quasioptical (q.o.) output coupler and the two output windows, which are foreseen for the next lateral output version of the tube. The tube with axial output has been tested at FZK to deliver maximum output power of 1.17 MW in the designed TE_31,17 mode with 26.7% efficiency at 164.98 GHz. Maximum efficiency of 28.2% was achieved at 0.9-MW output power. The design operating point with output power 1.36 MW and 36.7% efficiency was net accessible because of beam instabilities at high electron-velocity ratio α, presumably caused due to high electron-velocity spread. Power at higher frequencies was also detected: 1.02 MW at 167.16 GHz in TE_32,17 mode with 26.88 efficiency, 0.63 MW at 169.46 GHz in TE_33,17 mode with 18% efficiency, and 0.35 MW at 171.80 GHz in TE_31,17 mode with 13.3% efficiency