Photonic-crystal mediated charged particle beam velocity modulation and electromagnetic wave generation

We present the first experimental results of a photonic crystal (PC) structure-mediated charged particle beam velocity modulation and energy exchange. Our structure was based on two photonic lattices working at 9.532 GHz: a modulation lattice (ML) driven by a 2.5–6 W signal to velocity-modulate an electron beam of dc voltage from 15 to 30 kV and current from 50 to 150 μA, and an excitation lattice (EL) to exchange energy with the modulated beam, similar to a two-cavity klystron. Experimental results successfully demonstrated high spectral purity from signals excited by the velocity-modulated beam in the EL, with power level in excellent agreement with conventional theories