Coherent very high power microwave source using a virtual cathode oscillator

An oscillating virtual cathode produced by a multikiloampere relativistic electron beam can generate microwave power at levels from several-hundred megawatts to one gigawatt. This type of source can operate from 500 MHz to 40 GHz. To become useful as an accelerator driver, it is essential that we control the frequency and phase of the microwave radiation. To accomplish this, it may be possible to use the resonant interaction between the oscillating virtual cathode and a microwave cavity that is pumped with a klystron-injected signal to produce a microwave source capable of very high power, narrow bandwidth, narrow-band frequency tunability, and phase controllability