Calibration of a Kerr Cell System for High Voltage Pulse Measurements

摘要

The report summarizes progress made on the Kerr cell pulse measurements project. The following are included: (1) Systems for purification and testing of the nitrobenzene used in our Kerr cells were developed. (2) Methods for calibration of a Kerr system by reference to calibrated pulse divider measurements. These calibrations are believed to be accurate to better than 1%. (3) Methods for independent (without reference to pulse divider measurements), under both uniform and nonuniform field conditions, were developed and evaluated. (4) Pulse voltages as high as 100 kV were measured (simultaneously) by use of a calibrated pulse divider and a Kerr system. Several different Kerr cells were used. With further refinements, it is anticipated that such calibrations, accurate to within plus or minus 0.5% will be feasible for systems capable of time-resolved measurements of pulses as high as 300 kV.