EFFECT OF STRUCTURE LENGTH ON RELATIVISTIC BACKWARD-WAVE OSCILLATOR PROPERTIES

Data show that a high-power backward-wave oscillator's (BWO) nonlinear saturation properties are dependent on slow-wave structure length. Re sults from an experimental investigation comparing the individual outp ut from two high-power (60 MW), X-band BWOs operating in the Raman reg ime at saturation amplitudes are presented. The two BWO slow-wave stru ctures are identical in all respect except length. Comparisons are mad e of the BWOs' microwave frequency, peak power, and pulsewidth output which are, in turn, parameterized with respect to the electron beam en ergy.