The Loss-cone Driven Electron-cyclotron Maser

The electron cyclotron maser

The electron cyclotron maser (ECM) is based on a stimulated cyclotron emission process involving energetic electrons in gyrational motion. It constitutes a cornerstone of relativistic electronics, a discipline that has emerged from our understanding and utilization of relativistic effects for the generation of coherent radiation from free electrons. Over a span of four decades, the ECM has unde...

Electron-Cyclotron-Maser Observable Modes

We investigated wave amplification through the Electron-Cyclotron-Masermechanism. We calculated absorption and emission coefficients without any approximations, also taking into account absorption by the ambient thermal plasma. A power-law energy distribution for the fast electrons was used, as is indicated by X-ray and microwave observations. We developed a model for the saturation length and ...

Linear Theory of an Electron Cyclotron Maser

The linear theory of an electron cyclotron maser (ECM) operating at the fundamental is developed. A set of analytic expressions, valid for all TE cavity modes, is derived for the starting current and frequency detuning using the Vlasov-Maxwell equations in the weakly relativistic limit. These results are applicable for an arbitrary electron velocity distribution as well as any longitudinal dist...

The electron cyclotron maser in hot thermal plasmas

We investigate the possibility of an electron cyclotron maser operating in a hot (T > 107K) thermal plasma with a loss cone. We find that the instability can occur in this scenario because resonance involving electrons in the thermal tail can give rise to significantly large growth rates. We estimate the range of electron velocities that can be in resonance and show how this dictates the freque...

Small-signal analysis of the induced-resonance electron-cyclotron maser.