Highly Adjustable Plasma Oscillator (HAPO) Phase 2

This project focuses on the development of a key enabling technology needed for a highly tunable microwave oscillator operating at high power levels. The key feature of the tunable oscillator is a slow wave structure consisting of a controlled plasma in a hollow cylindrically symmetric configuration. The plasma is created by a low energy electron current passed through a low-pressure inert gas. Oscillating frequency depends on the plasma number density of the slow wave structure. The plasma number density is controlled by the intensity of the low energy ionizing electron current. The plasma slow wave structure envelopes and interacts with a high current relativistic electron beam that drives the oscillator. The ionization beam and the plasma slow wave structure are constrained by an applied axial magnetic field. The project will create a suitable plasma slow wave structure and applied magnetic field and carefully diagnose the plasma with regard to plasma formation details and degree of control of the plasma number density.