Linear Theory of Plasma-Filled Coaxial Cylindrical Cherenkov Maser

Injection of background plasma into the beam-wave interaction region can greatly enhance the beam-wave interaction efficiency and the microwave output power of the device. In this paper, a new type of plasma-filled slow-wave structure, i.e., plasma-filled, dielectric-loaded coaxial cylindrical waveguide with a dielectric ring enclosing tightly the inner conductor, is developed. The Cherenkov radiation excited by the beam-wave interaction in the slow-wave structure is examined by use of the self-consistent linear field theory. The dispersion equation and the synchronized condition of the beam-wave interaction are derived. It's clearly shown that the Cherenkov radiation excited by the beam-wave interaction results from the coupling between the slow electromagnetic wave, TM-modes, propagated along the slow-wave structure and the negative-energy space-charge wave propagated along the relativistic electron beam. And the wave growth rate is solved, and the beam-wave energy exchange in the presence of the background plasma is discussed. Finally, the effects of the background plasma density on the dispersion characteristics, the distribution of the longitudinal fluctuating electric field, the wave growth rate and the beam-wave energy exchange are calculated and discussed.