Primary experiments of L-band relativistic backward wave oscillator

A compact L-band relativistic backward wave oscillator(RBWO) is investigated with simulation and experimental method. In simulation, the L-band coaxial RBWO, driven by a 700 kV, 10 kA electron beam, comes to a nonlinear steady state in 20 ns. High-power microwave(HPM) is generated with an average power of 2.23 GW, a frequency of 1.60 GHz, and power conversion efficiency of 31.8%. In the primary experiment, the measured microwave frequency is 1.61 GHz, with a peak power level of above 1.05 GW, when the diode voltage is 703 kV and the current is 10.6 kA. The pulse duration (full-width at half-maximum) of the radiated microwave is 38 ns.