Application of intense relativistic electron beams in RF generation–relativistic Klystron amplifier

This research addresses the development of new high power RF Klystron‐like amplifiers. These amplifiers use modulated intense relativistic electron beams of power exceeding 10 gigawatts. The development of the new amplifier resulted from successful experiments in 1986, demonstrating generation of a completely modulated intense relativistic electron beam, of power 1–10 gigawatts by a lower power (≂100 kw) external RF source. One of the important results in the experiment was that the phases of the electron bunches were ‘‘locked’’ to the RF source and phase variations were below 4 degrees. These electron bunches traversing special structures radiated RF power at a 3 gigawatts level. With the knowledge accumulated during the last three years we can project RF sources, using modulated IREBs, capable of generating gigawatts of RF power with energy per pulse in the 100 kilojoule range. This kind of power makes such devices interesting for heating plasmas to thermonuclear temperatures and for powering large RF a...