Central University Research Consortium

The US DoD announced the award of three 5-year grants at 1 M$/year for basic research on high energy microwave sources under the Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI). These grants are monitored by the AFOSR (R. Barker, Technical Program Monitor). The three contracts are issued via UC/Davis (Western Consortium), Texas Tech University (Central Consortium) and the University of Maryland (Eastern Consortium). This paper describes the organization and main research topics of the Central Consortium, which consists of Texas Tech University, The University of New Mexico, The University of Michigan, and Physics International Company as an industrial partner. The main goals of this consortium are to explore various basic phenomena that may lead to higher power and energy microwave devices which can operate at high efficiencies and with self compensating capabilities to optimize the device operation under deteriorating system parameters. The capabilities of these three universities as well as those of the other two consortia and their industrial partners are all brought to bear on key issues related to these goals. The partners in all three consortia are under strong encouragement to cooperate closely.