A 500 MW, 1 mus pulse length, high current relativistic klystron

This paper describes the experimental development of a long pulse high current relativistic klystron amplifier (RKA). The desired performance parameters are 1 GW output power and 1 mus pulse length with an operating frequency of 1.3 GHz. Peak powers approaching 500 MW have been achieved in pulses of 1 mus nominal baseline-to-baseline duration. The half power pulse width is 0.5 mus. These pulses contain an energy of about 160 J. RF output rises linearly in concert with the beam current pulse, and terminates abruptly just before the highest part of the pulsed voltage curve is reached. A possible explanation, not yet experimentally confirmed, for the premature termination of the RF pulse is an output cavity gap voltage that is too high, causing electron reflection at the gap and RF breakdown across the gap. A new output cavity has been designed with a much lower shunt impedance and a loaded Q of 4