COMSED 1 — A compact, gigawatt class microwave source utilizing helical flux compression generator based pulsed power

Recent progress in the development of a compact, portable, explosively-driven high power microwave source is presented. The envelope to which the system must fit has a 15 cm diameter, which means each sub-system fits within this dimension, with an optimized overall length. The system includes an autonomous prime energy source, which provides the initial energy for a two-stage, flux-trapping helical flux compression generator (FCG). Typical output from the FCG is several kilojoules into a 3 μH inductor. The amplified energy from the generator, after pulse conditioning, is used to drive a virtual cathode oscillator (vircator). Recorded voltages at the vircator with this arrangement were greater than 200 kV in experiments, where radiated output powers of greater than 100 MW have been measured. Voltages of at least 300 kV, with an electrical output power of 4 GW or greater, were generated by the FCG driven pulsed power source into a water resistor load with an impedance similar to the operating impedance of the vircator. A description of each component of the compact microwave source will be given, along with waveforms from tests performed with the components independent of the rest of the system. Data from experiments with the fully integrated microwave system will be shown, and analysis will be offered to detail the performance of the system in its present state.

I. Introduction

Explosively-Driven Pulsed Power (EDPP) research at Texas Tech University has resulted in the continued development of a High Power Microwave (HPM) source utilizing a Flux Compression Generator (FCG) as the pulsed power driver. The primary impetus for the use of EDDP in this HPM system is a need for portable, field-deployable sources which can be used for applications set in remote locations. Specific packaging constraints placed on the design limit the cross-sectional area of the entire system to , with a circular form factor, with an added goal of minimizing length and increasing energy density. To enable portability, every component has to be able to operate using “cord free” energy sources, such as batteries, while still adhering to the given size restrictions. A compact ( active volume), two-stage, flux-trapping helical FCG was first developed under the packaging guidelines [1]–[2], and after successful collaborative microwave generation experiments with the University of Missouri-Columbia [3], was used as the foundation from which the present HPM system was designed.