RF power for the Next Linear Collider

Summary Form only given, as follows. The Next Linear Collider (NLC) will require unprecedented amounts of power at a higher frequency than has been used previously for such applications. Two general applications have been considered and/or are still under consideration as RF power sources: systems that use RF pulse compression and systems that directly generate and use the large peak power needed to drive a section of an accelerator. Conventional klystrons and gyroklystrons are examples of RF sources that would require pulse compression to meet the requirements of the NLC. The relativistic klystron and variations of the two-beam accelerator have been considered for directly generating the peak power needed. Cost and efficiency arguments further restrict the range of options. A recent candidate is the cross field amplifier (CFA), which may have a cost advantage if it can be used in a mode without a pulsed modulator and without a thermionic cathode. The CFA could fit into either of the above categories or could be a category of its own if economy of large scale production allowed one to consider using from 10/sup 4/ to 10/sup 5/ relatively low peak power sources.<>