Isothermal Bunching of Electron Stream in Microwave Electron Devices

Abstract

In order to evaluate the threshold input signal of microwave amplifiers and frequency transducers the performance of electron gas in a power field of travelling wave is investigated. Action of the longitudinal high frequency electric field of the slow travelling wave upon electron stream is likened to the influence of periodically distributed gravitational masses on the molecules of a neutral gas. Such representation allows to get an equation of distribution of electron concentration in an isothermal equilibrium electronic atmosphere which may be kept at limit conditions by the field of travelling wave. Equation for the threshold signal power shows that it grows extremely at the increase of electronic temperature and at the decrease of interaction impedance of the slow-wave system. It is shown as well that at the standard values of the main parameters represented by the equation and at a room temperature the threshold input signal power should be of 10-9W order. Ill. 4, bibl. 2 (in English; summaries in English, Russian and Lithuanian).