pulsers

Pulsers are electronic devices or systems that generate short, high-energy electrical pulses from a longer-duration input. They store energy and release it in a controlled, fast pulse with defined amplitude, duration, and timing. Pulsers are used where precise, repeatable transient signals are required, including scientific research, radar, pulsed laser drivers, and pulsed power experiments.

A typical pulser comprises energy storage, a fast switch, and a pulse-forming network or transmission line to shape the pulse. Energy storage is usually capacitor banks; the switch can be a gas-filled tube such as a thyratron or krytron, or a solid-state device such as MOSFETs or IGBTs. The pulse-forming network (PFN), Blumlein transmission line, or other shaping network sets the pulse width and impedance. Pulsers can be single-shot or repetitive, with repetition rates ranging from once per minute to tens of kilohertz depending on design and cooling.

Performance characteristics commonly described for pulsers include pulse width (from nanoseconds to microseconds), rise and fall times, peak power, energy per pulse, jitter, and duty cycle. Design considerations focus on impedance matching, minimizing parasitic inductance and capacitance, timing accuracy, thermal management, and safe handling of high voltages and stored energy.

History and development trace the emergence of pulsed sources from mid-20th-century radar and spark-gap technologies to modern PFN-based and solid-state systems. Marx generators are a related approach used for high-energy, repetitive pulsed power applications. Pulsers continue to be essential in research laboratories, high-speed diagnostics, and industrial and military pulse-power applications. Related topics include pulse-forming networks, pulsed power, and high-voltage pulsers.