Short Pulse High Voltage Systems

Abstract

The design features of current high speed pulse generators will be outlined. Existing single machines can provide more than 10¹³ watts at voltages above 10 million volts. Likely extensions of present design techniques to provide similar or higher wattages at a couple of million volts will be mentioned. One of the earlier limitations to the rise time of the pulses produced by the machines was the main output gap. The development of multi-channel switching will be briefly reviewed and the present position in this will be given. The inductance of the vacuum envelope and its immediate feeds presents another limit to the pulse rise time in low impedance systems and some present day limits will be indicated. Within the diode the energy can be carried by a vacuum insulated feed and some limits and solutions to the power flow that can be sustained will be discussed. Further convergence of the power flow can then be obtained by using electron beams, such as by pinches within the diode or by neutralised electron beam transportation. The present power fluxes achievable at the various stages of convergences will be indicated. The history of the development of high wattage systems of various voltages will be indicated in order to give some idea of what may be achievable in the near future. In conclusion some brief comments will be made about the possibilities and difficulties of longer pulse systems and also about those with multishot capabilities to achieve significant mean power levels.