The Wave Picture of Microwave Tubes

Abstract

Many microwave tubes make use of a long electron beam. The radio frequency excitation on such a beam can be expressed in terms of two space-charge waves, one of which has negative energy and negative power flow. The electron beam may pass through resonators, through lossy surroundings, through slow-wave circuits. In this paper the low-level operation of klystrons, resistive-wall amplifiers, easitrons, space-charge-wave amplifiers, traveling-wave tubes and double-stream amplifiers is explained in terms of waves on electron beams and on circuits. Noise is discussed in terms of such waves.