Operation of repetitively pulsed virtual cathode oscillators on the TEMPO pulser

Author

Haworth, M. ; Anderson, B. ; Christofferson, J. ; Cremer, D. ; Doss, K. ; Platt, R. ; Sidler, J.D., III ; Thode, L.

Author_Institution

Science Applications Int. Corp., Albuquerque, NM, USA

Volume

19

Issue

4

fYear

1991

fDate

8/1/1991 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

655

Lastpage

659

Abstract

The design and performance characteristics of two virtual cathode oscillators operated at a 1-Hz repetition rate for a 10-shot burst using the TEMPO pulser are presented. The 2.4-GHz hardware generated a 300 MW per pulse (radiated) in the TM₀₂ mode with a 1.3% total energy conversion efficiency and with a 10.5% frequency bandwidth. A 2:1 scale-tip of this hardware was used to achieve an 840-MHz operation, but it only radiated 70 MW per pulse in the TM₀₁ mode with a 7.3% bandwidth, since hardware constraints prevented the TM₀₂ component from being radiated. The relatively low beam current density of the TEMPO VCOs yielded a low diode gap closure rate that should make them suitable for long-pulse operation. In addition, the low beam current density minimized damage to the thin anode screen

Keywords

microwave oscillators; microwave tubes; ultra-high-frequency tubes; 1 Hz; 10-shot burst; 2.4 GHz; 300 MW; 70 MW; 840 MHz; TEMPO pulser; TM₀₁ mode; TM₀₂ mode; beam current density; damage; design; diode gap closure rate; frequency bandwidth; operation; performance characteristics; repetition rate; repetitively pulsed virtual cathode oscillators; thin anode screen; total energy conversion efficiency; Anodes; Bandwidth; Cathodes; Current density; Diodes; Energy conversion; Frequency conversion; Hardware; Oscillators; Pulse generation;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Plasma Science, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0093-3813

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/27.90312

Filename

90312