Evidence of a new pulse-shortening mechanism in a load-limited MILO

Experimental evidence shows that the electron flow in a load-limited magnetically insulated transmission line oscillator (MILO) is only partially magnetically insulated at the launch point, yet fully insulated along the downstream slow-wave structure (SWS). This results in a microwave pulse duration substantially less than that of the beam. Computer simulations suggest that anode plasma formation is responsible for this pulse shortening and are able to replicate key features of the experimental data.