Development and applications of pulsed power devices at the University of Texas at Dallas

The generic concept for the pulsers developed at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) employs a Blumlein based pulse forming system commutated by a fast switching device. Characterization studies of these pulsers have been extensively performed at UTD and results indicate that they are capable of producing high power waveforms with risetimes and repetition rates in the range of 0.2 - 50 ns and 1 - 1000 Hz, respectively, using a conventional thyratron, spark gap, or photoconductive switch. This report presents the progress in the development and use of these Blumlein power sources. Currently, we are exploring the impedance parameter space in our modulator pulse forming lines to develop a reliable low impedance pulser capable of generating intense ultra-fast electric fields and or x-ray pulses with nanosecond durations suitable for applications in the fields of bioelectricity and induced gamma emission.