Interaction of electron with electric field

• An electron can be accelerated or decelerated by an electrostatic field.

• If the direction of travel of electron (shown by the heavy arrow) is
against the electrostatic lines of force which are from positive to
negative:
• negatively charged electron will be attracted to the positively charged
body and will increase in velocity. As its velocity increases, the energy
level of the electron will also.
 Interaction of electron with electric field
• An electron travelling in a direction opposite to electrostatic lines of force
will absorb energy and increase in velocity (accelerate).
• An electron travelling in the same direction as the electrostatic lines of force
will decelerate by giving up energy to the field.
• The negatively charged body will repel the electron and cause it to decrease
in velocity.
• When the velocity is reduced, the energy level is also reduced. The energy
lost by the electron is gained by the electrostatic field.

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Two cavity
klystron

• Cathode: it emits electrons

• Focusing grid/electrodes (Vg): This grid is used to focus
the electrons and is operated at relatively low positive
voltage
• Acceleration potential (Vo): high positive dc voltage is
applied to cavity resonators to accelerate the electrons at
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the entrance of first cavity resonator
• Buncher cavity:
• Field free region:
• Catcher cavity:
• Collector/Electron trap:

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 Velocity Modulation:
• Velocity modulation is defined as variation in the velocity of the electron
beam caused by alternate speeding up and slowing down of electrons in
beam.
• This is caused by an alternating voltage signal applied between the grid of
resonant cavity (Buncher) through which the electron beam must pass.

• In order to achieve velocity modulation a stream of electrons travelling at

same speed (unmodulated) is produced by an electronic gun. Electrons
emitted from cathode attracted towards the accelerator grid, then the
electrons pass a pair of closely spaced buncher grids.
• The alternating voltage is applied across the buncher cavity.
• Due to this, the velocity of electrons leaving the buncher cavity differs from
the velocity of electrons entering the cavity grids
• The electrons enter the buncher grids with uniform velocity but why leaving
each electron will have different velocity phone the strength and direction
of electric field cavity at the time when electron leaves the grids

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 Velocity Modulation:

• If electron moves in electric field velocity modulation continuous taking

place the energy gained by accelerated electrons is balanced by energy
lost bhai retarded electrons
• increase or decrease electric field
• No net change of velocity hence no net electric field.
•

• Hence electron beam is allowed to drift into an area with no electric field,
field free region. As electron drifts in field free region, bunching continues
which results in the formation of density modulated electron beam.
•

• The net effect of velocity modulation is to form current density modulated

electron beam varies at same rate as grid signal frequency
•

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Buncher Cavity Action
• Consider 3
electrons
moving with
uniform
velocity.
• Electron 1
crosses the grid
gap, when the
voltage across
the grid is
negative,
electron bond
is slowed down

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• Electron 2 enters
the gap when AC
voltage is zero
hence it moves with
the initial velocity its
speed is unchanged
• Electron 3 enters
gap when the
voltage is positive
hence its velocity is
increased .
• Combined effect is
that electrons bunch
together.
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 Bunching
• Electrons released by electron gun, after crossing
buncher cavity, travel with different velocities.
Electrons those left early go slowly & electrons
released later go faster and catch up with the slow
electrons and all electron reach at the same time.
This is called as bunching.
• It results in the production of bunches of electrons.
•At positive crossing of sine wave
bunching of the electron occurs.
•Whereas negative crossing the
branching takes place
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 Velocity modulation Density modulation
• Velocity modulation leads to the formation of bunched electron
beam whose density is modulated i.e. at certain places electron
bunch together and other places there are a few electrons. This is
called DMeB (Density modulated electron beam).
• CASES:
• If electron beam continues to move in field:
• If electron moves in electric field velocity modulation continuous
taking place, due to positive and negative crossings, bunching as well
as de bunching occurs. No Density modulated electron beam
• the energy gained by accelerated electrons is balanced by energy lost
by retarded electrons.
• There will be increase or decrease electric field,
• No net change of velocity  no net electric field.
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• Hence electron beam is allowed to drift into an
area with no electric field, field free region.
• If electron beam drifts in field free region:
• As electron drifts in field free region, bunching
continues which results in the formation of
density modulated electron beam.
• The net effect of velocity modulation is to form
current density modulated electron beam varies
at same rate as grid signal frequency

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 Delivery of useful power from beam to field
• Catcher cavity must be place at a point of maximum bunching such that
useful energy can be derived from the DMeB.
• The bunches of electron will induce an RF voltage (AC) in grip gap of the
catcher cavity.
• Proper placement of Catcher cavity induces gap voltage to decelerate
the electron bunches that arrived at the gap of Catcher cavity
• When bunches reach the cavity the induced voltage is negative and
hence the bunches decelerate. Kinetic energy of electrons reduces, PE
will increase, field grows. hence power is transferred to the electric
field.
• When areas between the branches arrived at cavity the voltage induced
is positive, and beam absorbs energy.
• However areas between bunches have few electrons hence energy
given out by the electrons to the electric field is more than the energy
gained by them. There is net retardation hence net delivery of power
from electrons to field takes place. Prof. Deron Rodrigues
 Revision/ Summary
• 2 cavities  input cavity (Buncher) and output cavity
(Catcher)
• Electron gun produces unmodulated electron beam,
which moves due to dc acceleration potential
• AC input  Buncher cavity  velocity modulation (PE
(Field) KE (movement of electrons)
• Field free region  electron beam drifts (Bunching
DMeB)
• Catcher cavity maximum bunching  beam coupling
• Electron bunch slowed down due to negative induced
voltage KE decreases  PE increases  field grows.

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 Amplifier action in 2-cavity klystron
• 2 cavity klystron is used as an amplifier by feeding the input signal to input
resonator(buncher cavity) & taking output from output resonator (catcher
cavity)
• Procedure:
• Ac input signal is applied to buncher cavity -> it modulates the electron
beam. Velocity modulation initiates in buncher cavity.
• Density modulation doesn’t take place in buncher cavity gap (this is
preferred, as any bunching within the buncher gap causes beam loading and
results in weakening of RF signal.)
• Velocity modulation is converted to density modulation in field-free
(drift)space.
• When DMeB transits through catcher gap, it couples a driving current ib
into the grid.
• Beam coupled current ib induces current i’ in external circuit coupled to
output resonator.

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