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We describe a new O-type high power microwave oscillator that uses a metamaterial slow wave structure (MSWS) supporting waves with negative dispersion. The MSWS comprises periodically alternating, oppositely oriented split ring resonators (SRRs) connected to a metal tube where the distance between the rings is much less than a wavelength of the radiation generated. The SRRs provide negative permeability μ. The diameter of the metal tube is such that the generated oscillations are below cutoff for a regular waveguide with the same dimension, thus providing negative permittivity ε. A tubular electron beam propagates coaxially through this structure. The interaction space is coupled with the outer coaxial channel through gaps between the SRRs. Radiation is extracted in an endfire manner at the end of the outer channel via a conical horn section. Using particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, it was found that the electron beam in the interaction space forms a sequence of trapped electron bunches by the synchronous operating wave. The output parameters of this oscillator for an applied voltage U = 400 kV, electron beam current I = 4.5 kA, and guide axial magnetic field B = 2 T are radiation power P = 260 MW, radiation frequency f = 1.4 GHz, and electronic efficiency η = 15% when the total SWS length L consisting of 12 split rings is 34.5 cm. The output radiation pattern corresponds to a TE21-like hybrid mode. This article presents details on the simulations of this novel structure and computational and experimental cold tests of a prototype structure in preparation for experimental hot tests.

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We present the analysis of a microwave generator that uses two-spiral metamaterial (MTM) plates in a below cutoff WR340 waveguide that interacts with a high-power electron beam, motivated by recent results obtained by researchers at MIT. Particle-in-cell simulations using the MAGIC code demonstrated that power levels of 12 MW are achieved in a backward wave mode at a frequency of 2.47 GHz from an anomalous Doppler instability using a 1 μs pulsed electron beam of energy 400 keV, current 82 A in a 415 G magnetic field. In addition, a backward wave with 9 MW output power is achieved at a frequency of 2.54 GHz attributed to a Cherenkov instability using a 1 μs pulsed electron beam of energy 400 keV, current 82 A in a 1200 G magnetic field. MAGIC simulations demonstrate that the beam-wave interaction electronic efficiency can be as high as 27.4%. Nonlinear simulations indicate that beam interception leads to secondary electron emission from surfaces, which makes the anomalous Doppler instability and Cherenkov instability more complicated by a shift in frequency. This work seeks to clarify some discrepancy between particle-in-cell simulations and experiments at MIT over a range of guide magnetic field.