The University of Missouri has studied parameters affecting the runtime and jitter of a laser triggered gas switch. Experiments tested a variety of switch parameters including percentage of self-break and charge voltage. The effects of laser beam parameters were also considered, including focal length, laser energy and laser spark length.;Experiments were performed on the Tiger pulsed power machine. Measurements were taken on a spark gap switch built from the trigger section of a Rimfire switch. A Marx bank consisting of 32, 3.1 uF, capacitors that feeds into a 7 nF intermediate storage capacitor drives the switch into a 4 O resistive load. The test switch was pressurized with SF6 and operated near 1 MV. A 30 mJ, 266 nm, Nd:YAG laser was used to trigger breakdown of the switch. The laser was focused at the mid-gap between the electrodes using lenses with focal lengths between 30 cm and 100 cm. Focused laser energy in the switch ranged from <5 mJ to 20 mJ.;The effects of switch and laser beam parameters on the runtime and jitter of a laser triggered gas switch are presented. The end goal of the research is to determine optimal conditions for improved switch performance.
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