New Lab-Funded Magnetron May Help Defeat Enemy Electronics: "Air Force Research Laboratory-funded researchers at the University of Michigan invented a new type of magnetron that may be used in defeating enemy electronics. A vital component of military radar systems since World War II, a magnetron is a kind of vacuum tube that serves as the frequency source in microwave ovens, radar systems, and other high-power microwave circuits.
The newly devised technology--which is more compact, exhibits faster start-up, and demonstrates higher peak and average power than current devices--should enable higher-power, higher-frequency operation and, thus, improved potential for jamming and defeat of adversarial systems.
While basic magnetron design has changed little over time, the UM researchers were able to exploit established plasma physics principles in conjunction with innovative geometry to overcome the physical limitations of standard magnetrons"
