Performance enhancements and results of testing a new 6.7 MV laser-triggered gas switch system on the refurbished Z accelerator

As the last command-triggered switch in the Refurbished Z accelerator at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), the laser-triggered gas switch (LTGS) system is instrumental in the overall performance of Z and allows for flexibility in pulse shaping for various experimental campaigns. It is desirable to push the operating envelope of the switch to higher voltages and currents to allow for a higher peak power to be delivered to the load while at the same time reducing jitter and pre-fire rate for increased precision and reliability. We have accomplished this in a version of the LTGS that we call the C1.1 with the constraint of keeping the overall switch size consistent with physical space available. The C1.1 LTGS consists of laser-triggered and cascade portions which has been reported on previously.[1] However, the C1.1 eliminates the trigger plate and supports the cascade section in a cantilevered fashion. Improvements to this iteration of the LTGS were mainly mechanical in nature. Other minor electrical improvements were made to reduce regions of electric field enhancement and to reduce the likelihood of tracking by adding scalloping to the center support rod. Materials choice for the center support rod was important due to both the mechanical and electrical requirements placed on this component. Mechanical shock testing of the improved switch was performed on a shaker table available at SNL prior to installation on Z and showed that the improvements resulted in less displacement of the cantilevered end and less rotation of components in the cascade section. All electrical testing of the improved LTGS was performed on the Z machine. To date, we have accumulated 377 shots on C1.1 switches without a pre-fire. Runtime statistics are determined after each shot and show that the C1.1 switches are very tolerant to voltage and pressure variations exhibiting median runtimes of 43.9 ns with a jitter (1-σ) of 5.4 ns for all switch closures. The modifications made to and- the performance results of the improved LTGS system are detailed in this manuscript.