Nonlinearly driven oscillations in the gyrotron traveling-wave amplifier

By delivering unprecedented power and gain, the gyrotron traveling-wave amplifier (gyro-TWT) offers great promise for advanced millimeter wave radars. However, the underlying physics of this complex nonlinear system is yet to be fully elucidated. Here, we report a new phenomenon in the form of nonlinearly driven oscillations. A zero-drive stable gyro-TWT is shown to be susceptible to a considerably reduced dynamic range at the band edge, followed by a sudden transition into driven oscillations and then a hysteresis effect. An analysis of this unexpected behavior and its physical interpretation are presented.