We report the studies of a free running virtual cathode oscillator radiating in the S-band. Although this vircator is acting as a nonresonant device, the radiation bandwidth is relatively narrow (< 2%), almost comparable to the results obtained when a high Q cavity is used (<EQ 1%). The customary chirping behavior of the RF pulse is absent in our measurements. The virtual cathode oscillator is radiating in a single mode identified as TM₀₁ mode by using microwave-gas breakdown techniques. The measured peak power is approximately 300 MW. The mode pattern is strongly affected by the presence of electrons inside the waveguide.

Date Published: 1 April 1992
PDF: 11 pages
Proc. SPIE 1629, Intense Microwave and Particle Beams III, (1 April 1992); doi: 10.1117/12.137125

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 1629:
Intense Microwave and Particle Beams III
Howard E. Brandt, Editor(s)