A Plasma-Assisted Megawatt Class Microwave Source With an Output of 1KJ Per Pulse

Abstract

The Air Force requires lightweight, compact sources of high-power high-frequency radiation for numerous applications in communications, radar, ECM, and directed-energy weapons (DEW). This effort will be a satellite effort under the "Microwave Power Research Initiative (MiPRI)" program that addresses important research issues that impact directly on both the high-power microwave (HPM) and microwave vacuum electronics (MVE) R&D thrusts within the DOD. The goal of the proposed basic research is to study and understand the physics of the "Plasma Assisted Slow-wave Oscillator (PASOtron)." That HPM device concept, originally proposed by Schumacher at the Hughes Research Labs in the late 1980s, hold exceptional promise for a future high efficiency, low cost HPM system of the future. Before progress toward prototype development can move forward, however, the fundamental physics of the device concept must be thoroughly mastered.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 2008
Accession Number
ADA488150

Entities

People

  • Yuval Carmel

Organizations

  • University of Maryland

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Air Force
  • Department Of Defense
  • Directed Energy Weapons
  • Electronics
  • Frequency
  • High Power Microwaves
  • Microwaves
  • Radiation
  • Vacuum Electronics
  • Weapons

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Electronics Engineering
  • Pulsed Power and Plasma Physics.
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy
  • Microelectronics
  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster