Measured performance of magnetron injection guns for gyrotrons
Magnetron injection guns (MIGs) are a principle component in gyrotrons and gyroklystrons. The performance of the RF device critically depends on the performance of the MIG that provides the electron beam. Unfortunately, recent measurements indicate that MIGS often generate asymmetrical electron beams that can adversely impact the operation of the RF source. This presentation will describe the measurement facility and provide results from recent tests.
Experimental study of gyrotron efficiency enhancement by improvement of electron beam quality
The methods for suppressing parasitic low- frequency oscillations (LFOs) have been applied to improve electron beam quality in a 4-mm 100-kW gyrotron. In the conditions of suppressed LFOs and of high cathode emission uniformity, the stable operation of this gyrotron at pitch factor values high than 1.5 has been achieved. As a result, the efficiency of the gyrotron at the main TE12,3 mode has been increased from 32 % (corresponds to the designed regime with pitch factor of 1.28) up to 42 %.
Thermally Induced Dynamics of Satellite Solar Panels
Thermally induced structural motions are known to affect the attitude dynamics of low Earth orbiting satellites during eclipse transitions. Motions of e exible appendages such as solar panels lead to rigid body rotations of the entire satellite because the total angular momentum of the system is conserved. These potentially large attitude disturbances may violate pointing accuracy and jitter requirements. One type of thermally induced dynamics exhibited by solar panels is thermal snap. The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite is a prominent example of a satellite that experiences thermal snap disturbances during eclipse transitions. This paper describes recent studies of thermally induced dynamicsof solarpanels, including an analysisofsatelliteattitudedynamics resulting from thermally induced structural motions and a laboratory investigation of the thermal-structural performance of a satellite solar panel. Analytical and experimental results demonstrate thermal bending deformations with acceleration transients that have characteristic thermal snap disturbance histories in response to rapid changes in heating. The studies show that solar panel thermal snap disturbances are caused by through-the-thickness temperature differences that vary at a nonconstant rate. Finite element analysis correctly predicts the thermal snap phenomenon observed in the solar panel experiments.