A cyclotron-resonance maser (CRM) experiment is performed in a high-gradient magnetic field using a low-energy electron beam (∼10 keV/1 A). The magnetic field exceeds 1.63 T, which corresponds to a 45-GHz cyclotron frequency. The CRM radiation output is observed in much lower frequencies, between 6.6 and 20 GHz only. This discrepancy is explained by the finite penetration depth of the electrons into the growing magnetic field, as in a magnetic mirror. The electrons emit radiation at the local cyclotron frequency in their reflection point from that magnetic mirror; hence, the radiation frequency depends mostly on the initial electron energy. A conceptual reflex gyrotron scheme is proposed in this paper, as a CRM analogue for the known reflex klystron.

• Received 4 February 1999

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.60.2411