Increasing the RF energy per pulse of an RKO

The Air Force Research Laboratory RKO source has recently demonstrated the ability to convert electron beam power to RF power until the termination of the electron beam pulse, achieving a power of 1.5 GW at an energy of 170 J. These results represent an increase in power of 25-30% in power and energy extracted from this source. This paper discusses the principal research areas encountered in lengthening the RF pulse (FWHM) from 50 ns to the present 120 ns and the associated increase in the RF energy.