Development of 26 GHz Dielectric-Based Wakefield Power Extractor

High frequency, high power rf sources are needed for many applications in particle accelerators, communications, radar, etc. In this article we present a design of a 26 GHz high power rf source based on the extraction of wakefields from a relativistic electron beam. The extractor is designed to couple out rf power generated from a high charge electron bunch train traversing a dielectric loaded waveguide. Using a 20 nC bunch train (bunch length of 1.5 mm) at the Argonne Wakefield Accelerator (AWA) facility, we can obtain a steady 26 GHz output power of 148 MW. The extractor has been fabricated and bench tested, with the first high power beam experiments to be performed in the coming year.