A study of high power microwave air breakdown

Abstract

This paper presents the results of research on microwave breakdown in air, it includes the experimental study and the theoretical analysis. The experimental study has been done in a waveguide with a frequency of 9.37GHz, the peak power up to 200kW, pulse width from 0.3 to 2.0s. The repetition rate of microwave source is from single pulse to 970 pulse per second. The process of the breakdown of repetition pulse has also been recorded for a burst of ten pulses. A theoretical model for breakdown threshold is presented also. The theoretical are in good agreement with the experimental ones.