Development of the Concept of High-Power Microwave Oscillators with Phase Locking by an External Signal

Abstract

By simulations and experiments we develop a method for generation phase locking of a Ka-band subgigawatt nonstationary relativistic backward-wave oscillator (BWO) with an external radio pulse, the duration of which is considerably greater than the pulse duration of a driven BWO. The level of input power (about 20 kW), which provided phase locking with a total spread of about 1.2 rad, is determined both for the case of competition with an electromagnetic disturbance from a steep front of the beam current and the case of a slow current rise without phase locking in the self-excitation mode. The phase locking effect is achieved with a significant difference in the frequencies of the external radio pulse and driven BWO (about 1 GHz) and hence differs from the amplification mode.