MGX: a high-power, pulsed microwave generator development project
A high-power, short-pulse microwave source, MGX, is being developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. It will be used for high-power microwave vulnerability and lethality studies, investigation of air breakdown, and high-power microwave diagnostic development. The microwave source, a virtual cathode oscillator (VIRCATOR), is initially designed to operate at 8 GHz, with an output power greater than 1 GW, and 70 ns pulse width. The pulsed power source is a modified one-unit FXR Blumlein system charged to approximately 650 kV. A new insulator and electron-beam diode have been designed. In addition, a water-breakdown gap has been included to suppress diode prepulse and to sharpen the pulse rise time. The VIRCATOR has been extensively modeled with the MASK code at LLNL. Preliminary results are presented.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 5928091
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-88664; CONF-830621-22; ON: DE83013791
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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