Smith-Purcell Terahertz Sources

Many applications of THz radiation remain impractical or impossible due to the lack of compact sources with sufficient power. A source, in which the interaction occurs between an electron beam and a diffraction grating, has been shown in simulations to be capable of generating high THz power in a compact package. The grating surface-wave produces strong beam bunching and generates significant power at the fundamental frequency and its harmonics. We will discuss the Coherent Smith-Purcell studies performed at CESTA both with planar and cylindrical configurations. The promising recent experimental results at 100 and 200 GHz will be presented.