Frequency-tunable CW gyro-BWO with a helically rippled operating waveguide

Operation of a continuous wave gyrotron backward-wave oscillator (gyro-BWO) with a helically rippled operating waveguide has been experimentally studied. The gyro-BWO exploits a dc oil-cooled magnet with magnetic field up to 0.5 T and utilizes a weakly relativistic (20 keV) electron beam produced by a magnetron injection gun. Stable generation at the second cyclotron harmonic with a maximum power of 7 kW and an efficiency of 15% at a frequency of 24.7 GHz was achieved. Smooth oscillation frequency tuning by varying the magnetic field was measured to be as wide as 5% at the half-power level. The first gyro-BWO operation with a single-stage energy recovery system was realized. The use of a depressed collector provided an efficiency increase up to 23% and an opportunity for reduction of the main power supply voltage down to 10 kV.