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Title: Improved operation of a microwave pulse compressor with a laser-triggered high-pressure gas plasma switch

Abstract

The influence of laser beam parameters on the output pulses of a resonant microwave compressor with a laser-triggered plasma switch was investigated. The S-band compressor, consisting of a rectangular waveguide-based cavity and H-plane waveguide tee with a shorted side arm, was filled with pressurized dry air and pumped by 1.8-μs-long microwave pulses of up to 450 kW power. A Nd:YAG laser was used to ignite the gas discharge in the tee side arm for output pulse extraction. The laser beam (at 213 nm or 532 nm) was directed along the RF electric field lines. It was found that the compressor operated most effectively when the laser beam was focused at the center of the switch waveguide cross-section. In this case, the power extraction efficiency reached ∼47% at an output power of ∼14 MW, while when the laser beam was not focused the maximal extraction efficiency was only ∼20% at ∼6 MW output power. Focusing the laser beam resulted also in a dramatic decrease (down to <1 ns) in the delay of the output pulses' appearance with respect to the time of the beam's entrance into the switch, and the jitter of the output pulses' appearance was minimized. In addition, the quality of the output pulses' waveformmore » was significantly improved.« less

Authors:
; ;  [1]
  1. Physics Department, Technion, 32000 Haifa (Israel)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22599933
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Physics of Plasmas
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 23; Journal Issue: 8; Other Information: (c) 2016 Author(s); Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 1070-664X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; 71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; AIR; BEAMS; COMPRESSORS; CROSS SECTIONS; EFFICIENCY; ELECTRIC FIELDS; EXTRACTION; MICROWAVE RADIATION; NEODYMIUM LASERS; PLASMA; PLASMA SWITCHES; PULSES; WAVE FORMS; WAVEGUIDES

Citation Formats

Shlapakovski, A., Gorev, S., and Krasik, Ya. E. Improved operation of a microwave pulse compressor with a laser-triggered high-pressure gas plasma switch. United States: N. p., 2016. Web. doi:10.1063/1.4960981.
Shlapakovski, A., Gorev, S., & Krasik, Ya. E. Improved operation of a microwave pulse compressor with a laser-triggered high-pressure gas plasma switch. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4960981
Shlapakovski, A., Gorev, S., and Krasik, Ya. E. 2016. "Improved operation of a microwave pulse compressor with a laser-triggered high-pressure gas plasma switch". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4960981.
@article{osti_22599933,
title = {Improved operation of a microwave pulse compressor with a laser-triggered high-pressure gas plasma switch},
author = {Shlapakovski, A. and Gorev, S. and Krasik, Ya. E.},
abstractNote = {The influence of laser beam parameters on the output pulses of a resonant microwave compressor with a laser-triggered plasma switch was investigated. The S-band compressor, consisting of a rectangular waveguide-based cavity and H-plane waveguide tee with a shorted side arm, was filled with pressurized dry air and pumped by 1.8-μs-long microwave pulses of up to 450 kW power. A Nd:YAG laser was used to ignite the gas discharge in the tee side arm for output pulse extraction. The laser beam (at 213 nm or 532 nm) was directed along the RF electric field lines. It was found that the compressor operated most effectively when the laser beam was focused at the center of the switch waveguide cross-section. In this case, the power extraction efficiency reached ∼47% at an output power of ∼14 MW, while when the laser beam was not focused the maximal extraction efficiency was only ∼20% at ∼6 MW output power. Focusing the laser beam resulted also in a dramatic decrease (down to <1 ns) in the delay of the output pulses' appearance with respect to the time of the beam's entrance into the switch, and the jitter of the output pulses' appearance was minimized. In addition, the quality of the output pulses' waveform was significantly improved.},
doi = {10.1063/1.4960981},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22599933}, journal = {Physics of Plasmas},
issn = {1070-664X},
number = 8,
volume = 23,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Aug 15 00:00:00 EDT 2016},
month = {Mon Aug 15 00:00:00 EDT 2016}
}