High power peniotron development at Northrop Grumman

Abstract

Summary form only given. The need exists for a compact efficient high power millimeter wave source for high resolution radar. At Northrop Grumman-Electronic and Information Warfare Systems (NG-EIWS) this need is being addressed through the development of an advanced fast wave device-the harmonic peniotron. The primary effort under this program involves the development of a high power field-reversed electron gun. The Northrop Grumman gun design is based on the injection of an initially converging electron beam through a gradual field reversal. Due to the absence of a center magnetic polepiece, the design provides simplicity of construction and ease of adjustment. Design goals for the gun development program are: beam current 3.5 A magnetic focussing field 6.5 kG, beam alpha 1.5, beam ripple <=10%, and axial velocity spread <5%. A first order gun design meeting these specifications has been completed and fabrication of subassemblies has begun. A floating cathode pole piece was found to be required to meet the beam velocity spread and ripple requirements. A beam tester incorporating a cerium glass scintillator witness plate, electrostatic beam velocity/position probes and a retarded field energy analyzer has been designed and is presently under construction for verifying gun performance. In addition to the gun development underway, progress has also been made on the design and testing of high power peniotron devices.