Abstract
The magnetron injection gun is capable of generating relativistic electron beam with high velocity ratio and low velocity spread for a gyrotron backward-wave oscillator (gyro-BWO). However, the velocity ratio (α) varies drastically against both the magnetic field and the beam voltage, which significantly limits the tuning bandwidth of a gyro-BWO. This study remedies this drawback by adding a variable trim field to adjust the magnetic compression ratio when changing the operating conditions. Theoretical results obtained by employing a two-dimensional electron gun code (EGUN) demonstrate a constant velocity ratio of 1.5 with a low axial velocity spread of 6% from 3.4-4.8 Tesla. These results are compared with a three-dimensional particle-tracing code (computer simulation technology, CST). The underlying physics for constant α will be discussed in depth. © 2009 American Institute of Physics.