Additional Details

The magnetron is a high-powered vacuum tube that generates microwaves using the interaction of a stream of electrons with a magnetic field. The high power of pulses from the magnetron made centimeter-band radar practical. Shorter wavelength radars allowed detection of smaller objects. The compact magnetron tube drastically reduced the size of radar sets so that they could be installed in anti-submarine aircraft and escort ships. At present, magnetrons are commonly used in microwave ovens and in various radar applications.