A novel active microwave pulse compressor in the form of an axisymmetr
ic cavity is implemented and investigated. The cavity is formed by: a)
a Bragg reflector, b) a cylindrical section, and c) an output resonan
ce reflector in the form of an electrically controlled gas-filled spar
k gap. The compressor is excited by the TE01 mode of a circular wavegu
ide at a frequency of 9.4 GHz. Working at atmospheric pressure, the co
mpressor produces output pulses with a power of 1.8 MW and duration 25
ns at a compression coefficient of around 20. (C) 1998 American Insti
tute of Physics. [S1063-7850(98)01910-7].