A small signal theory of the peniotron

Abstract

A small signal theory of the Peniotron including space charges, is presented. The calculations show that two different modes of operation exist. The original mode (resonance mode) follows the typical gain behavior of crossed-field amplifiers, although space charge effects can be neglected. The other mode, referred to as synchronous mode, exhibits the typical dispersion of "0" type traveling wave tubes, and space charge effect are important: the bandwidth appears to be much wider, and the gain is proportional to the cubic root of the current.