Projects
Interest in new, more powerful, coherent sources of terahertz (THz) radiation has recently resurged, fueled by advances in fabrication and device physics modeling, emergence of new security threats and popular interest in biomedical technologies. Potential applications include high data rate communications, concealed weapon or threat detection, remote high resolution imaging, chemical spectroscopy, materials research, deep space research and communications, basic biological spectroscopy and biomedical diagnostics. Despite many valuable useful applications, the adoption of terahertz waves has been slow because of the limited output power from currently available sources. Therefore, the lack of commercially available sources and detector for this frequency region lead to the term "Terahertz Gap". Thus, Clinotron oscillators are the devices that are very attractive in many THz applications.
“Simulation and Analysis of Vacuum Devices” (2012 STCU Partner project # P498 financed as a part of ESA/ESTEC contract no. AO/1-6469/10/F/MOS “Feasibility Study on an All European Klystron for Deep Space Communications”).
Deep space communication requires creation of microwave sources and amplifiers with high power and flat amplitude-frequency response in given band and also with operation compatibility with specified supply and cooling systems. Hence, the issue of amplifiers development and present-day floating-drift klystron amplifiers technology improvement is of high importance. The project’s aim is the development and a description of design technology of amplifying klystron, its units and both supplying and cooling design. The project fulfillment implies consultations with Spanish collaborators on technology aspects of electron-vacuum devices integrally and of some units, particularly of electron-optical systems.
“Studies of electromagnetic radiation mechanism in Roentgen and submillimeter region from electric discharge in electrolytes” (2008-2010 STCU project # 3979, 2010-2011 STCU project # 3979A).
A challenging problem, which has been attracting attention of scientist worldwide, is a development of THz sources tunable in a wide frequency range. This is due to the needs of present technology of material processing, medicine, spectroscopy, etc. which calls for higher frequencies and output power. Available electromagnetic sources in this frequency range are bulky and quite expensive while common requests for such devices are compact size, small supply energy, relatively high output power and reasonable cost. There are two main directions of research in this field:
1)Improvement and optimization of existing electron sources (FEL, gyrotron, laser),
2)Search for alternative energy sources based on new principles.