Self-Modulation and Chaotic Regimes of Generation in a Relativistic Backward-Wave Oscillator with End Reflections

We study self-modulation and chaotic regimes of generation in a relativistic backward-wave oscillator in the presence of reflections of radiation from the boundaries of a slow-wave structure. The onset of self-modulation is examined in detail in the cases of weak and strong reflections. A numerical simulation of transition-to-chaos scenarios is performed over a wide range of parameters. The relation of bifurcation transitions between different regimes to the formation of spatio-temporal structures in the electron beam is discussed.