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FunctionA magnetron is a type of vacuum tube designed to produce microwaves. As other tubes, it has a heated cathode which is placed on the axis of the cylindrical cavity. The anode is constituted by the inner walls of the cavity. The main cavity is subdivided into further circular cavities whose size determines the output wavelength of the tube.
The magnetron works with an attached strong magnet (missing) such that the electrons emitted by the cathodes are deflected by a magnetic field instead of reaching the anode directly. This deflection produces electromagnetic radiation, with the small cavities favoring the particular frequencies that the magnetron is designed to produce. The resulting microwaves leave the magnetron through the long tube, called a waveguide.
The glass part of the magnetron holds the fillament that heats the cathode, so it needs to be of a nonconducting material, whereas the main cavity is heated up during operation and needs to irradiate excess heat, hence the color and many fins.
This model was used in Philco AN/APS-15 bombing radar and similars. Over 300,000 were made.