CW 100 MW microwave power transfer in space

A proposal is made for high-power microwave transfer in space. The concept consists of a microwave power station integrating a multistage microwave free-electron laser (FEL) and an asymmetric dual-reflector system. Its use in space is discussed. A possible microwave power station operating at 17 GHz is depicted. The microwave generating section of the station consists of the 15-MeV induction linac as an injector which is capable of accelerating electron beams of 3 kA with a pulse length of 100 ns and a multistage FEL; each of the stages consists of a 1-m-long planar wiggler with a peak field of 3.8 kG and wavelength of 26 cm, a microwave septum, and an induction unit with an accelerating voltage of 500 kV. The design of the asymmetric dual subreflector system may be complicated. However, a small-scale experiment on the ground confirming the design is possible.<>