Phase Locking of Relativistic Magnetrons

Phase locking of relativistic magnetrons has been achieved at power levels of ∼3 GW at 2.8 GHz, exceeding previous phase-locking power levels by 3 orders of magnitude. Two relativistic magnetrons interact directly through a short waveguide of length $l\sim \frac{n\lambda }{2}$ to allow locking. Power-density enhancement due to source coherence is directly measured in the radiation field. Phase locking occurs in ∼5 ns and is reproducible. Extension to 10-100 GW appears feasible with arrays of oscillators.