Recent Theoretical Developments in Gyrotron Research

Abstract

An electromagnetic radiation mechanism1-3 known as the “electron cyclotron maser” has been the basis of a new class of radiation devices, called the gyrotrons, capable of generating coherent millimeter and submillimeter radiation at unprecedented power levels. The cyclotron maser interaction takes place between the electromagnetic waves of a cavity or waveguide structure and an electron beam in which the individual electrons move along helical trajectories in the presence of an applied magnetic field. Theory and development of various types of gyrotrons can be found in recent review articles4-8 and the references cited therein.