Laser-driven semiconductor switch for generating nanosecond pulses from a megawatt gyrotron.

A laser-driven semiconductor switch (LDSS) employing silicon (Si) and gallium arsenide (GaAs) wafers has been used to produce nanosecond-scale pulses from a 3 s, 110 GHz gyrotron at the megawatt power level. Photoconductivity was induced in the wafers using a 532 nm laser, which produced 6 ns, 230 mJ pulses. Irradiation of a single Si wafer by the laser produced 110 GHz RF pulses with a 9 ns width and >70% reflectance.

Theory of Linear and Nonlinear Gain in a Gyroamplifier using a Confocal Waveguide.

The linear and nonlinear theory of a gyroamplifier using a confocal waveguide is presented. A quasi-optical approach to describing the modes of a confocal waveguide is derived. Both the equations of motion and the mode excitation equation are derived in detail.