Basic research on pulsed power for narrowband high-power microwave sources

Relativistic, intense beam-driven High Power Microwave (HPM) sources emerged as consequence of the development of pulsed power. In this context, pulsed power refers to components of a system following the prime power source, and before the load, which is typically an electron beam diode. Progress in fielding HPM sources on mobile platforms requires developing more compact pulsed power drivers. The Air Force Office of Scientific Research is sponsoring, using resources allocated by DDR&E, a Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) program to study basic phenomena and processes that can lead to the design of more compact pulsed power systems. The University of New Mexico is leading a consortium, uniting researchers at Old Dominion University and the University of Nevada-Reno, to study basic phenomena relating to breakdown in solid and liquid dielectrics, high dielectric constant ceramics for use in compact, folded Blumlein transmission lines, gas switches, thermal management in compact pulsed power systems, among other topics. This paper describes the research activities on this program that are being performed in the initial year.

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