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Del Mar Photonics featured application of axicon:
Laser Triggering of Water Switches in Terrawatt-Class Pulse Power Accelerators - pdf
Laser Triggering of Water Switches in Terrawatt-Class Pulse Power
Accelerators
J. R. Woodworth, N. D. Zameroski
Pulsed Power Technologies Department
Sandia National Laboratories, POB 5800, Albuquerque, NM 87185-1193
D. L. Johnson,
Titan Pulse Sciences, 2700 Merced St. San Leandro, CA
G. S. Sarkisov, J. Blickem,
Ktech Corporation, 1300 Eubank Blvd, SE, Albuquerque, NM 87185
D. M. Van De Valde,
EG&G Technical Services, 2420 Comanche Rd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87185
R. L. Starbird, F. Wilkins
Bechtel Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada
Abstract
Focused Beams from high-power lasers have been used to command
trigger gas
switches in pulse power accelerators for more than two decades. This Laboratory-
Directed Research and Development project was aimed at determining whether high
power lasers could also command trigger water switches on high-power
accelerators. In
initial work, we determined that focused light from three harmonics of a small
pulsed
Nd:YAG laser at 1064 nm, 532 nm, and 355 nm could be used to form breakdown arcs
in
water, with the lowest breakdown thresholds of 110 J/cm2 or 14 GW/cm2 at 532 nm
in
the green. In laboratory-scale laser triggering experiments with a 170-kV
pulse-charged
water switch with a 3-mm anode-cathode gap, we demonstrated that ~90 mJ of green
laser energy could trigger the gap with a 1-σ jitter of less than 2ns, a factor
of 10
improvement over the jitter of the switch in its self breaking mode. In the
laboratoryscale
experiments we developed optical techniques utilizing polarization rotation of a
probe laser beam to measure current in switch channels and electric field
enhancements
near streamer heads. In the final year of the project, we constructed a
pulse-power
facility to allow us to test laser triggering of water switches from 0.6- MV to
2.0 MV.
Triggering experiments on this facility using an axicon lens for focusing the
laser and a
switch with a 740 kV self-break voltage produced consistent laser triggering
with a + 16-
ns 1-σ jitter, a significant improvement over the + 24-ns jitter in the
self-breaking mode.
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Axicons were procured from Del Mar Ventures, 4119 Twilight Ridge, San Diego, CA 92130, (858)755-6727. http://www.sciner.com/Opticsland/store.htmAxicons in stock
| AX-FS-1-175-2 | Axicon, UV FS, diam. 1", cone angle 175°, BBAR 700-1000 nm | $350.00 |
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| AX-FS-1-175-3 | Axicon, UV FS, diam. 1", cone angle 175°, BBAR 800&1064 nm | $350.00 |
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| AX-FS-1-175-0 | Axicon, UV FS, diam. 1", cone angle 175°, uncoated | $290.00 |
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| AX-FS-1-178-4 | Axicon, UV FS, diam. 1", cone angle 178°, BBAR 1100-1600 nm | $350.00 |
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| AX-FS-1-178-1 | Axicon, UV FS, diam. 1", cone angle 178°, BBAR 400-700 nm | $350.00 |
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| AX-FS-1-178-2 | Axicon, UV FS, diam. 1", cone angle 178°, BBAR 700-1000 nm | $350.00 |
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| AX-FS-1-178-3 | Axicon, UV FS, diam. 1", cone angle 178°, BBAR 800&1064 nm | $350.00 |
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| AX-FS-1-179-4 | Axicon, UV FS, diam. 1", cone angle 179°, BBAR 1100-1600 nm | $350.00 |
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| AX-FS-1-179-2 | Axicon, UV FS, diam. 1", cone angle 179°, BBAR 700-1000 nm | $350.00 |
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| AX-FS-1-179-3 | Axicon, UV FS, diam. 1", cone angle 179°, BBAR 800&1064 nm | $350.00 |
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| AX-FS-1-179-0 | Axicon, UV FS, diam. 1", cone angle 179°, uncoated | $290.00 |
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| AX-FS-2-140-2 | Axicon, UV FS, diam. 2", cone angle 140°, BBAR 700-1000 nm | $700.00 |
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| AX-FS-2-160-C | Axicon, UV FS, diam. 2", cone angle 160°, BBAR 800-1000 nm | $700.00 |
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