impulse accelerator

Impulse accelerators are a type of particle accelerator primarily used in research on thermonuclear fusion of hydrogen isotopes. These devices accelerate electron beams to high energies, typically between 1 and 9 MeV, with currents ranging from 200 to 200,000 amperes. The acceleration process involves a series of toroidal iron cores acting as pulse transformers, with the electron beam forming the secondary windings connected in series. The primaries are powered by discharging a large bank of capacitors, creating very brief pulses of about 50 nanoseconds. Beyond fusion research, impulse accelerators are also used for flash radiography, collective ion acceleration, microwave production, and laser excitation.1