Cyclotron autoresonance maser amplifiers and oscillators

The theory of the CARM (cyclotron autoresonance maser amplifier) and the design and simulation of (1) a 20-MW, 33-GHz, 400-kV CARM amplifier, (2) a 0.4-GW, 250-GHz, 2-MV CARM oscillator in a Bragg resonator, and (3) a 100-kV dielectric loaded CARM are presented. The CARM is a wideband device with high efficiency due to autoresonance for frequencies well above cutoff. The CARM can also withstand extremely high power due to the reduced attenuation from being far above cutoff. The large Doppler upshift results in a much weaker magnetic field requirement compared to the gyrotron, but it also leads to the need for a high-quality electron beam with a low axial velocity spread. >