Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 29, 2025
08:42
How to Ignite an Atmospheric Pressure Microwave Plasma Torch without Any Additional Igniters
Published on: April 16, 2015
20.1K
A compact 4 GW pulse generator based on pulse forming network-Marx for high-power microwave application
Haoran Zhang1, Ting Shu1, Zhiqiang Li1
1College of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, China.
The Review of Scientific Instruments
|July 10, 2021
Summary
A compact pulse forming network (PFN)-Marx generator using mica capacitors generates intense electron beams for high-power microwaves. This PFN-Marx generator achieves 400 kV pulses at 50 Hz, enabling 500 MW microwave generation.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Electrical Engineering
Background:
- High-power microwave generation requires intense electron beams.
- Compact and stable pulse generators are crucial for advanced applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To construct and characterize a compact PFN-Marx generator for intense electron beam generation.
- To evaluate the performance of the generator for high-power microwave applications.
Main Methods:
- A PFN-Marx generator was designed using mica capacitors and a mini-Marx trigger source.
- Multi-stage gas switches were integrated for stable operation.
- The generator was tested with a water load and a Ku-band magnetron.
Main Results:
- The generator delivered 120 ns, 400 kV pulses into a 40-Ω water load at 50 Hz.
- A 500 MW microwave pulse (50 ns width) at 14.4 GHz was achieved when driving a Ku-band magnetron.
Conclusions:
- The compact PFN-Marx generator is effective for producing intense electron beams.
- The developed generator shows significant potential for high-power microwave applications.
Related Concept Videos
01:10Generating Electromagnetic Radiations
5.1K
The German physicist Heinrich Hertz (1857–1894) was the first to generate and detect certain types of electromagnetic waves in the laboratory. Starting in 1887, he performed a series of experiments that confirmed the existence of electromagnetic waves and verified that they travel at the speed of light. Hertz used an alternating-current RLC (resistor-inductor-capacitor) circuit that resonated at a known frequency and connected it to a loop of wire. High voltages induced across the gap in...
5.1K
01:16Maximum Power Transfer
538
Numerous practical applications within engineering disciplines, such as telecommunications, necessitate optimizing power delivery to a connected load. This pursuit, however, entails inherent internal losses, which can either equal or exceed the power supplied to the load. The Thevenin equivalent circuit is helpful in finding the maximum power a linear circuit can deliver to a load. It is assumed in this context that the load resistance can be adjusted.
By substituting the entire circuit with...
By substituting the entire circuit with...
538
01:17NMR Spectrometers: Radiofrequency Pulses and Pulse Sequences
1.1K
A pulse is a short burst of radio waves distributed over a range of frequencies that simultaneously excites all the nuclei in the sample. Upon passing a radio frequency pulse along the x-axis, the nuclei absorb energy corresponding to their Larmor frequencies and achieve resonance. This shifts the net magnetization vector from the z-axis toward the transverse plane. This angle of rotation of the magnetization vector, or the flip angle, is proportional to the duration and intensity of the pulse.
1.1K
01:19DC Generator
1.3K
An alternator converts mechanical energy into electrical energy that varies sinusoidally, resulting in AC current. Meanwhile, a DC generator converts mechanical energy into electrical energy, which are DC pulses with the same polarity. The construction of a DC generator is similar to that of an alternator, except that the pair of slip rings is replaced by a single split ring, also called a commutator. The commutator functions like a periodic rotary switch; it changes the contacts with the...
1.3K
01:21Generator Voltage Control
288
Generator voltage control is crucial for maintaining the stable operation of synchronous generators and wind turbines. In older models, a DC generator driven by the rotor delivers DC power to the rotor's field winding, and the power is transferred through slip rings and brushes. In the latest models, static or brushless exciters are used. Static exciters rectify AC power from the generator terminals and then transfer the DC power directly to the rotor. Brushless exciters, on the other hand,...
288
01:17MOSFET Amplifiers
262
The MOSFET, when operating in its active region, functions as a voltage-controlled current source. In this region, the gate-to-source voltage controls the drain current. This principle underlies the operation of the transconductance MOSFET amplifier. The output current is directed through a load resistor to convert this amplifier into a voltage amplifier. The output voltage is then obtained by subtracting the voltage drop across the load resistance from the supply voltage. This process results...
262