Laser triggering system for Z-pinch primary test stand

The paper presents the design of laser triggering system for Z-pinch primary test stand(PTS) and the experimental results of single test module. The synchronization of 24 lines of pulsed currents was realized by 24 laser triggered switches, which were triggered by 12 Q-Switched Nd:YAG fourth harmonic laser 266 nm. Each laser output was divided into two beams, and then focused for the trigger of adjacent two switches. The experimental results show that the jitter of the laser triggering system is less than 3 ns, and the that of the switches is less than 5 ns. The experiment conditis are laser energy 100 mJ, pulse width 7 ns, and Marx charged voltage 75 kV. The isolation gas chamber has good insulation and seal. The laser optical system is stable and easy for adjustment. The successful test demonstrates that the design of beam splitting is feasible in PTS.