Investigation of the operating modes of a Blumlein pulse forming line

Results of studying the operating modes and shot-to-shot performance of a Blumlein pulse forming line (BPFL) at varying accelerator parameters are presented. The studies were performed on the TEMP-4M accelerator operating in the bipolar-pulse mode with the first negative plasma-generating pulse (150 kV, 400–500 ns) followed by the second positive accelerating pulse (200–250 kV, 120 ns). The operation of the BPFL was analyzed using a focusing strip-line ion diode with a magnetic self-insulation. When the BPFL operated in the bipolar-pulse mode, a high stability of the breakdown voltage of the preliminary spark gap was observed. The standard deviation in the pulse train did not exceed 2%. However, the stability of the main gasfilled spark gap performance was significantly worse (6–8%). To decrease the shot-to-shot variation in the breakdown voltage of the main spark gap, the first pulse arriving at the load of the BPFL was used for triggering the main spark gap.