Microwave Generation from Filamentation and Vortex Formation within Magnetically Confined Electron Beams

Abstract

The generation of microwaves from interacting vortices formed in thin magnetized electron beams is investigated experimentally and with three-dimensional electromagnetic particle simulations. Fine-detail photographs of relativistic and nonrelativistic beams show that vortex formation transcends 12 orders of magnitude in beam current. The simulations show a burst of microwave radiation from a rapid magnetic line connection and breaking between vortices when the vortex structure is well defined.