Recent developments in high average power driver technology

Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) reactors will require driver systems operating with tens to hundreds of megawatts of average power. The pulse power technology that will be required to build such drivers is in a primitive state of developement. Recent developments In repetitive pulse power are discussed. A high-voltage transformer has been developed and operated at 3 MV in a single pulse experiment and is being tested at 1.5 MV, 5 kJ and 10 pps. A low-loss, 1 MV, 10 kJ, 10 pps Marx generator is being tested. Test results from gas-dynamic spark gaps that operate both in the 100 kV and 700 kV range are reported. A 250 kV, 1.5 kA/cm², 30 ns electron beam diode has operated stably for 1.6 × 10⁵ pulses.