Development and Experimental Verification of an XY-Table for the Optimization of the Alignment of High-Power Gyrotrons

The proper alignment of the electron beam with the interaction cavity is essential in order to achieve efficient operation of modern high-power, high-frequency gyrotrons. However, tolerances, manufacturing, and magnetic field alignment errors may lead to the less optimal positioning of the electron beam in the gyrotron cavity. In this paper, we describe in detail the in-house design and development of a simple and low-cost prototype gyrotron-alignment XY-table, which can be used for the optimization of the alignment of the electron beam with the cavity axis. The efficient operation of the device is verified experimentally by operating the European ITER 170-GHz, 1-MW short-pulse prototype gyrotron in the Oxford Instruments superconducting magnet that is available at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology gyrotron test-stand and is equipped with a set of dipole coils.