High power relativistic magnetrons: Experiments and simulation

Recent experiments have demonstrated that the magnetron geometry can be adapted for gigawatt power production by short-pulse (≤1 µsec) operation at high voltages (>0.2 MeV) [1–3]. The high powers were achieved by using field emission diodes. The slow-wave structures in these magnetrons had relatively few cavities and an anode-cathode separation substantially smaller than the periodic spacing of the magnetron cavities. The effect of the small number of cavities was to maximize the mode separation, while the small A-K gap and high voltages accounted for the high powers observed.