Very sobering gigaWatt electron beam research,
posted at American Physical Society, online (http://www.aps.org)

From a scarier* page of presentation abstracts on this research :
http://flux.aps.org/meetings/YR98/BAPSDPP98/abs/S4900.html#SK6S.048

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[K6S.05] 94-GHz Harmonic Gyrotrons

R.C. Stutzman, D.B. McDermott, N.C. Luhmann Jr. (UC Davis), T.A. Spencer (Phillips Lab.)

25-100 kW, 94 GHz, s=2-8 harmonic gyrotrons utilizing both MIG and Cusp electron guns are being developed at a new facility at UCD. The initial experiment will test a 25 kW, second-harmonic TE_02 gyrotron using a 25 kV, 4 A, v_t/v_z=1.5, MIG electron beam with a predicted device efficiency of 25%. Although a high-T_c superconducting magnet has been designed for this device, the tests will employ a conventional superconducting solenoid. Designs will also be presented for a 4th-harmonic, 35 kW, 14% efficient, smooth-bore TE_41 gyrotron; a 4th-harmonic, 75 kW, 30% efficient, slotted gyrotron; and an 8th-harmonic, 22 kW, 9% efficient, permanent magnet, slotted gyrotron that will all use a 70 kV, 3.5 A, v_t/v_z=2, axis-encircling electron beam from a Cusp gun on order from Northrop Grumman.

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*And by "scary" I mean in regard to war machines, and the capability our gene pool continually engenders which strives to specifically destroy cultural instabilities within our own gene pool.

I suppose the "scary" part is the male-dominant war-mode culture of today's high-stress world of complex problems is by nature empowered to maintain the power over others with technology.

So long as we continually view cultures not of our own as problems rather than solutions, we will continually never find an off-ramp from our mass-migration to the cliff edge with all our fellow lemmings.

-DonEMitchell