The Vircator (VIRtual CAthode OscillatOR) is a vacuum tube
microwave frequency oscillator, configured as a triode or
klystron. It is classed as a High Power Microwave (HPM) device
and is a pivotal component in the Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP)
weapons arsenal, as well as microwave power transmission. Early
work into developing the vircator was done through a contract
tasking the Tomsk Polytechnical University who have openly
published their work. The output from a vircator tube is a
waveguide and possibly an antenna, and this directs the HPM beam
to its target. Peak power levels of 10^10 are possible. The
wavelength of power generation from a vircator is in the
microwave frequency bands, eg 4Ghz and higher. At these short
wavelengths, the destructive power transfer into more sensitive
electronics becomes very effective, with a destructive EMP type
of effect. The vircator is often powered by what is called a
Marx generator, which produces a short duration very high
voltage DC, high current pulse. In past trials,