A spark air pulse sharpener that generates 0.2- to 1.8-kV pulses is described. The sharpener operates stably at a primary-pulse amplitude of above 1 kV and at a 1- to 2.5-kHz pulse repetition rate. An attenuator with a set of replaceable resistors, which also corrects the leading edge, is used to produce pulses with a smaller amplitude. The pulses with a rise time of about 0.3-ns and a top unevenness of 5-7% are derived from the primary pulses with an ～3- to 4-ns rise time. The instability of the instant of the spark-gap breakdown is 0.1 ns, and the amplitude instability is no higher than 1%.
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