Development of Modular Pulsed Power Systems for High Power Magnetized Plasma Experiments

A new pulsed power system has been designed and tested to achieve high voltage, high current, and high charge transfer with low inductance and jitter for the purpose of exploring higher energy regimes in the Magnetic Shock Experiment (MSX) at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The newly developed system presented here is composed of an annular-rail spark gap switch with a solid state trigger employing oil insulation for high voltage operation and a coaxial current feed topology with parallel transmission lines for low stray inductance. This is the result of research and development including simulations, tests of solid state triggering components including power transistors, gate drivers, and optical transmitters/receivers, as well as oil breakdown/conditioning studies and the development of new high voltage charge/dump systems. Details on these investigations are presented along with the characteristic values of inductance, jitter, and rise-time capabilities of the overall system.