Polarization control of microwave emission from high power rectangular cross-section gyrotron devices

Results are summarized of experiments on a gyrotron utilizing a rectangular-cross-section (RCS) cavity region. The major issue under investigation is polarization control of microwave emission as a function of magnetic field. The electron beam driver is the Michigan Electron Long Beam Accelerator (MELBA) at parameters: V=0.8 MV, I/sub diode/=1-10 kA, I/sub tube/=0.1=0.5 kA, and t/sub e/-beam=0.4-1.0 /spl mu/s. The annular e-beam is spun up into an axis-encircling beam by passing it through a magnetic cusp prior to entering the RCS interaction cavity. Experimental results show a high degree of polarization in either of two orthogonal modes as a function of cavity fields. The RCS gyrotron produced peak powers of 14 MW in one polarization (TE/sub 10/) and 6 MW in the cross-polarized mode (TE/sub 01/). Electronic efficiencies for this device reached as high as 8% with transverse efficiency of 16%. Experimental results on the beam alpha (/spl alpha/=V/sub /spl perp///V/sub /spl par//) diagnostics, where alpha is the ratio of the e-beam's transverse velocity to its parallel velocity, agree well with the single electron trajectory code. MAGIC code results are in qualitative agreement with microwave measurements. Microwave emission shifts from the dominant fundamental mode polarization (TE/sub 10//spl square/ ), to the next higher order mode polarization (TE/sub 01//spl square/) as the solenoid magnetic field is raised from 1.4-1.9 kGauss. Frequency measurements using heterodyne mixers support mode identification as well as MAGIC code simulations.