Articles you may be interested inSystematic uncertainties in shock-wave impedance-match analysis and the high-pressure equation of state of AlWe have developed a versatile tool for generating planar shock waves. This system, which we call the electric gun, is capable of projecting thin flyer plates with velocities in the range 1-20 km/s. It is presently being used in high-explosives-initiation experiments and is being developed for equation-of-state measurements in the 1-5 TPa range. We describe the electric gun facilities that are operational at Lawerence Livermore Laboratory and discuss applications of electric gun technology to problems of interest to shock-wave researchers.