Coupler for coupling gyrotron whispering gallery mode RF into HE11 waveguide

• US 8,963,424 B1
• Filed: 01/29/2011
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Calabazas Creek Research, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Calabazas Creek Research, Inc.
• Inventors: Neilson, Jeffrey M.
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, BENNY T
• Application Number:
  US13/016,995
• Time in Patent Office: 1,487 Days
• Field of Search: 333/21.R, 333/252, 315/4, 315/5, 315/5.24, 315/5.29, 315/5.31, 331/79, 331/80
• US Class Current: 315/5
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 23/40 to or from the interaction circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 25/025 with an electron stream following a helical path

Abstract

A cylindrical waveguide with a mode converter transforms a whispering gallery mode from a gyrotron cylindrical waveguide with a helical cut launch edge to a quasi-Gaussian beam suitable for conveyance through a corrugated waveguide. This quasi-Gaussian beam is radiated away from the waveguide using a spiral cut launch edge, which is in close proximity to a first mode converting reflector. The first mode converting reflector is coupled to a second mode converting reflector which provides an output free-space HE11 mode wave suitable for direct coupling into a corrugated waveguide. The radiated beam produced at the output of the second mode converting reflector is substantially circular.

Claims

1. A coupler for a gyrotron, the coupler having:

a cylindrical waveguide for helically propagating Whispering Gallery (WG) mode Radio Frequency (RF) energy, the cylindrical waveguide terminating in a launch edge;

a first mode converting reflector adjacent to said launch edge and reflecting said WG mode RF energy from said launch edge into free space quasi-Gaussian mode RF energy having an elongate amplitude profile;

a second mode converting reflector receiving said free space quasi-Gaussian mode RF energy and having a reflection surface which generates a circularly symmetric free space quasi-Gaussian mode RF energy distribution at a distance D from said second mode converting reflector;

a corrugated waveguide located at said distance D from said second mode converting reflector and receiving said circularly symmetric free space quasi-Gaussian mode RF energy distribution for propagation in said corrugated waveguide in an HE11 mode.

2. The coupler of claim 1 where said first reflector is a distance of from 0.25 to 4 wavelengths of said WG mode RF energy from said launch edge.

3. The coupler of claim 1 where said cylindrical waveguide contains axial depressions and azimuthal depressions which enhance the generation of a TE24,6 mode.

4. The coupler of claim 1 where said cylindrical waveguide, said launch edge, and said first mode converting reflector are formed on a single piece of metal.

5. The coupler of claim 4 where said metal is copper.

6. The coupler of claim 1 where said corrugated waveguide includes a miter bend and a vacuum aperture.

7. The coupler of claim 6 where said vacuum aperture has a diamond window.

8. A coupler for a gyrotron, the coupler having:

a cylindrical waveguide for Whispering Gallery (WG) mode Radio Frequency (RF) energy, the cylindrical waveguide having a launch edge for said Whispering Gallery Radio Frequency energy;

said launch edge coupled to a first mode converting reflector for accepting WG mode RF energy radiated from said launch edge and generating a quasi-Gaussian free-space wave having an elongate amplitude profile;

a second mode converting reflector accepting said elongate amplitude profile quasi-Gaussian free space wave and converting the elongate amplitude profile of said quasi-Gaussian free-space wave into a substantially circular amplitude profile, said substantially circular amplitude profile also occurring in a region where said circular amplitude profile also has a minimum beam waist diameter;

a corrugated waveguide having an aperture positioned in said region of minimum beam waist diameter and coupling said quasi-Gaussian free-space wave as a guided wave with a HE11 mode;

where said cylindrical waveguide, said launch edge, said first mode converting reflector, and said second mode converting reflector are a single structure.

9. The coupler of claim 8 where said first mode converting reflector is from 0.25 wavelengths to 4 wavelengths of said WG mode RF energy from said launch edge.

10. The coupler of claim 8 where said elongate amplitude profile is perpendicular to a local beam axis.

11. The coupler of claim 8 where said substantially circular amplitude profile is with respect to a local beam axis.

12. The coupler of claim 8 where said second mode converting reflector reduces an elongate extent of said elongate amplitude profile perpendicular to a local beam axis.

13. The coupler of claim 12 where said corrugated waveguide has an axis which is substantially the same as said local beam axis.

14. The coupler of claim 8 where said cylindrical waveguide includes axial and azimuthal depressions for the enhanced generation of high order quasi-Gaussian modes including a TE_{24, 6} mode.

15. The coupler of claim 8 where said single structure is copper.

16. A coupler for whispering gallery mode RF travelling helically in a cylindrical input waveguide, the coupler having:

a launch edge in said waveguide for launching RF energy;

a reflection surface adjacent to said launch edge and receiving said RF energy, said reflection surface having a first curvature in an RF propagation axis and a second curvature perpendicular to said RF propagation axis, said first curvature and said second curvature forming said RF energy into a substantially circularly symmetric free-space RF beam which includes high order TE modes, said RF beam converging to a region having a minimum RF beam diameter;

a corrugated waveguide positioned in said region of minimum RF beam diameter and carrying said RF energy from said free-space RF beam in an HE₁₁ mode.

17. The coupler of claim 16 where said reflection surface accepts said RF energy from said launch edge and generates said substantially circularly symmetric free space RF beam at the entrance of said corrugated waveguide.

18. The coupler of claim 16 where said cylindrical input waveguide has an inner surface which includes irregularities for the generation of a TE_24,6 mode in said RF beam.

19. The coupler of claim 16 where said input waveguide, said launch edge, and said reflection surface are formed from the same structure.