ABSTRACT
The relativistic magnetron, along with the backward wave oscillator and related devices of Chapter 8, is one of the most mature of all high power sources. The operational mechanism is robust; it is a relatively compact source; and it has been operated in the frequency range from just below 1 to about 10 GHz. It is well understood. Over the years, a number of research teams have explored the full range of operational parameters: single-source output in excess of 4 GW; multisource output in a phase-locked configuration of 7 GW total output; repetitive, near-GW peak powers at pulse repetition rates up to 1 kHz; and long-pulse operation with an energy per pulse of about 1200 J. The magnetron is the most tunable high power source, with a 30% tunable range by mechanical means, and can be tuned while firing repetitively. Theoretically, the basic design process has been understood since the 1940s, but modern computer simulation techniques have speeded the process by which major design changes are incorporated, and systems analysis has clarified the major issues involved in understanding the upper limits of achievable repetition rates and energies per pulse. Practically, the major issues of fielding a magnetron-based system have been addressed in
the Orion facility, a transportable outdoor microwave effects test system built in 1995.
