A Compact Battery-Powered Half-Megavolt Transformer System for EMP Generation

High-power electromagnetic pulses are of importance in a variety of applications such as transient radar and particle accelerators and when investigating the effect of strong radio-frequency impulses on electronic systems. With all these possibilities in mind, a compact and portable source has been developed by the Plasma and Pulsed Power Group, Loughborough University, U.K., in collaboration with the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory, U.K. The source is based on a pulsed resonant Tesla transformer that produces nanosecond rise-time pulses at voltages exceeding 0.5 MV. In addition to the Tesla transformer, the other major components include a pulse forming line, a high-voltage fast spark gap switch, and a half-wavelength dipole antenna. The pulsed radiated electric field measured at 10 m from the source has a peak amplitude of 12.4 kV/m