A new generation of pulsed power supplies for experimental physics based on supercapacitors

Big physics experiments often require high power peaks for a short duration with low duty cycle. Even though the effective energy may be relatively small, the power supplies of these experiments can be critical from the technical, economic, and environmental points of view. This paper shows that the supercapacitor technology can simplify many power supply systems and can extend the scenarios explored by the experiments. Supercapacitors were already proposed and introduced for many applications, but their use is particularly advantageous in big physics experiments, especially when the current is high and the voltage is relatively low. This statement will be supported by some models and case studies based on real experimental devices (operating or that are going to be commissioned) with currents up to 60 kA. The presented designs based on supercapacitors simplify the existing apparatus, reduce the costs, increase the local power availability, and even extend the possible experimental activities. The reported analyses and results are mainly focused on nuclear fusion researches, but can be easily applied to many other fields.