Camelot-A Novel Concept for a Multiterawatt Pulse Power Generator for Single Pulse, Burst, or Repetition Rate Operation

Superpower pulse generators are fast establishing themselves internationally as candidates for employment in a wide variety of military applications including electronic warfare and jamming, high energy beam weapons, and nuclear weapons effects simulation. Unfortunately, existing multimegajoule pulse power generators such as AURORA do not satisfy many Department of Defense goals for field-adaptable weapon systems-for example, repetition rep rate operation, high reliability, long life, ease of operation, and low maintenance. The Camelot concept is a multiterawatt rep ratable pulse power source, adaptable to a wide range of output parameters-both charged particles and photons. An analytical computer model has been developed to predict the power flowing through the device. A 5-year development program, culminating in a source region electromagnetic pulse simulator, is presented.