Rotating detonation-enabled augmentor systems

A rotating detonation system comprising:

• a volume defined by a peripheral wall, the volume having an upstream portion that receives a core air-fuel mixture including combustion reactants and a downstream portion that releases detonation products;
• a detonation chamber occupying part of the volume, wherein the detonation chamber includes a first portion and a second portion disposed along a midline of the volume in an upstream to downstream direction in axially non-overlapping arrangement, wherein, in the first portion of the detonation chamber, the peripheral wall is radially spaced a first distance from the midline and wherein, in the second portion of the detonation chamber, the peripheral wall is radially spaced a second distance from the midline that is greater than the first distance to define a channel formed in the peripheral wall, the channel extending circumferentially about the midline of the volume, wherein the channel includes a pilot inlet path configured to deliver a pilot air-fuel mixture including detonation reactants into the channel;
• and
• a core fuel delivery system including at least one outlet disposed in a core inlet path extending along the midline of the volume upstream of the channel and configured to deliver the core air-fuel mixture to the first portion of the detonation chamber;
• wherein the pilot air-fuel mixture reacts in the second portion of the detonation chamber to generate a rotating detonation combustion wave that is guided by the channel to support a combustion reaction that consumes the core air-fuel mixture within the volume, and wherein the channel defines a length in a direction along the midline that is multiple times greater than a height of the channel defined in a radial direction from the midline as a difference between the second distance and the first distance.