Experimental progress on a prototype multifrequency recirculating planar magnetron

The Multi-Frequency Recirculating Planar Magnetron (MFRPM) is a variant of the Recirculating Planar Magnetron, a crossed-field, high power microwave source¹. The MFRPM integrates the same advantages over traditional cylindrical cavity magnetrons as UM´s original RPM with the added benefit of producing multiple frequencies using a single HPM device. Previous research involved the design and fabrication of the MFRPM-6+8, a prototype MFRPM consisting of a 6-cavity 1-GHz slow-wave structure (SWS) and an 8-cavity 2-GHz SWS. Experiments have successfully demonstrated simultaneous dual-frequency oscillations in the unloaded MFRPM-6+8 prototype driven by the Michigan Electron Long Beam Accelerator with a Ceramic insulator (MELBA-C) using a -300kV, 0.3-1.0 μs pulse applied to the cathode.