Design and Development of a Plasma Wakefield Klystron.
Abstract
This project investigated a novel microwave source that utilizes a plasma to bunch the electron beam. The electron beam interacts with the plasma via the wakefield produced by the head of the electron beam as it passes through the plasma. The resulting plasma oscillations bunch the beam at a frequency proportional to the plasma frequency. Thus, the device can be tuned by varying the plasma density. The theory of the device has been developed, and numerical simulations of the interaction have been performed. The simulations have covered a very broad parameter range, including multi-GW electron beams at an energy of about 0.5 MeV as well as 100-keV electron beams at current levels of 100 to 500 A (10 to 50 MW). Practical problems, such as voltage droop during the pulse and nonuniform plasma density, have been addressed in the simulations to obtain an idea of the robustness of the device.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 23, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA322569
Entities
People
- David Smithe
- John Pasour
- Khanh Nguyen
- Robert Seeley