The NRL 11.4 GHz magnicon amplifier experiment

We present a progress report on a program to develop a high-power X-band magnicon amplifier for accelerator applications. The goal of the program is to generate 50 MW at 11.4 GHz with 50% efficiency, using a 200 A, 500 keV electron beam produced by a cold-cathode diode on the NRL Long-Pulse Accelerator Facility. The initial experiment, designed to study the gain from the first (driven) deflection cavity to a second (passive) deflection cavity, has recently begun.