The laser-triggered switching (LTS) of high-voltage spark gaps is considered. The basic theory is presented which predicts dependencies of the delay to breakdown and switching jitter on such variables as fill gas mixture and pressure, gap spacing, polarity, and geometry. It is shown that electrical arcs of several metres length can be directed by laser action. A complete set of experiments is reported which adequately support the proposed theory. The performance of LTS is considered and results are reported on multiple gap triggering, multiple channel triggering, triggering of voltages in excess of 3 mV, repetitive switching at rates up to 50 pps with subnanosecond jitter, as well as various geometries, pulse forming demonstrations, and output voltage selection on a Marx generator.
A simple expression is developed that permits a correlation among laser-induced breakdown thresholds in solids, liquids, and gases. It is shown that the breakdown thresholds for the bulk of solid dielectrics, linear liquids, and gases all follow a linear fit to the expression N(2/3)/(n(2) - 1), where N is the atomic number density and n is the refractive index. The gas breakdown threshold versus pressure is compared with the predicted dependence.
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