A Simple Subnanosecond Light Pulser

An electronic circuit for generation of short light pulses is presented. The circuit uses low-cost, general-purpose electronic components and is simple in its structure. It is suitable for testing of the instruments and setups for the detection of light and adjusting correct timing and synchronization. The light pulses have a full width at half-maximum (FWHM) ranging from 0.9 to 2 ns for selected blue and red LEDs, and 250 ps for a red laser diode.