Refined Measurement and Signal Analysis Techniques in Vacuum and Plasma-Filled High Power Microwave Sources

This report describes the acquisition and utilization of instrumentation in the support of high power microwave HPM research. Recent advances in understanding the output of intense beam-driven relativistic requires both highly temporally resolved measurement capabilities, coupled with signal processing techniques such as time-frequency analysis. In particular, better understanding of nonlinear effects such as mode-hopping due to the cross-excitation instability, required the ability to resolve frequency shifts during the generation of HPM radiation. The instrumentation acquired under this FY99 DURIP grant led to the careful diagnosis of this instability.