High-reliability 50-kV switch with 532-nm laser triggering

A commercial trigatron switch (model SG-182) was modified for optical triggering. Redesign of the switch and implementation of laser triggering greatly reduces the probability of pre-firing and misfiring. Particular attention to details of the internal geometry, choice of electrode material and surface condition, and optimization of the purge-gas flow field results in a switch with greatly improved reliability. Laser triggering experiments with free-space beam transport are described, including measurements of breakdown characteristics and statistics, runtime and jitter, and optical emission from the spark.