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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

High-power microwave source development at Los Alamos

Conference ·
OSTI ID:6807550

Experimental research is under way at Los Alamos to develop the large-orbit gyrotron and the resonant-cavity virtual cathode oscillator as very high power microwave sources. These sources, though still in an early stage of development, have demonstrated power outputs from the several hundred megawatt to the gigawatt level at various Laboratories. These devices exhibit very narrow band output, making them candidates for future accelerator drivers. Our efforts are directed toward achieving repetitively pulsed operation at pulse lengths in the microsecond regime. To provide the pulsed power for these experiments, a 1-MV, 10-kA modulator with a 1-..mu..s pulse length and a 5-Hz pulse-repetition frequency has been developed and is currently being assembled. The resonant-cavity virtual cathode source has achieved very narrow band output compared to the conventional free-running virtual cathode oscillator. Techniques are being developed for extracting the microwave power from both sources into the rectangular waveguide. The experimental effort is described and current experimental results are discussed.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-36
OSTI ID:
6807550
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-88-3278; CONF-881049-11; ON: DE89000327
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English