Apparatus for varying time delay in electron drift tube by velocity modulating electron beam

Claim 1

APPARATUS TO PROVIDE A VARIABLE TIME DELAY BY CONTROLLING THE PROPAGATION VELOCITY OF AN ELECTRON BEAM IN AN ELECTRON DISCHARGE DEVICE COMPRISING MEANS TO FORM AN ELECTRON BEAM IN SAID ELECTRON DISCHARGE DEVICE, FIRST MEANS TO ACCELERATE SAID ELECTRON BEAM TO A FIRST PRESELECTED VELOCITY, MEANS TO COUPLE AN INPUT SIGNAL TO BE DELAYED ONTO SAID ELECTRON BEAM SUBSEQUENT TO ACCELERATING SAID ELECTRON BEAM TO SAID FIRST PRESELECTED VELOCITY, SECOND MEANS TO ACCELERATE SAID ELECTRON BEAM TO A SECOND PRESELECTED VELOCITY SUBSEQUENT TO SAID INPUT SIGNAL COUPLING OPERATION, SAID SECOND MEANS BEING VARIABLE, A DRIFT REGION HAVING A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE THROUGH WHICH SAID ELECTRON BEAM PASSES AFTER ATTAINING SAID PRESELECTED SECOND VELOCITY, SAID PREDETERMINED DISTANCE AND SAID PRESELECTED SECOND VELOCITY DETERMINING SAID TIME DELAY, MEANS TO HOLD THE ELECTRONS PASSING THROUGH SAID DRIFT REGION IN A PENCIL BEAM, MEANS TO DECELERATE SAID ELECTRON BEAM AFTER PASSAGE THROUGH SAID DRIFT REGION TO SAID FIRST PRESELECTED VELOCITY, AND MEANS TO COUPLE OUT THE INPUT SIGNAL FROM SAID ELECTRON BEAM AFTER SAID DECELERATING OPERATION.