COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS FOR MODULATORS AND PULSE POWER TECHNOLOGY

Since World War 11, compelling national security needs for radars, accelerators, pulse generators, and nuclear weapons effects simulators have resulted in the pursuit of a richly diverse collection of components, systems, design approaches, and technologies. Taken together, these represent a major portion of power modulator technology. Requirements for increasingly capable military systems have been one of the key driving forces behind the advances in power modulator technology. During the height of the Cold War, this nation and its allies were engaged in a struggle of enormous proportions. Technologists developing systems intended to keep the peace were occupied with the task at hand. With the dramatic changes in world affairs leading to a lessening of tensions, technology developers have an opportunity to consider alternative applications of power modulator technology. This opportunity comes at a time when this nation's commercial economic base needs revitalization and money spent on defense is being reduced consistent with a newly emerging defense strategy. This paper will describe a range of potential applications for power modulator technology, including manufacturing, processing, medicine, transportation, energy management, and environmental cleanup. While broad in scope, the applications identified are by no means comprehensive. Indeed, it is the goal of the authors to stimulate technologists to expand the non-military uses for their technology.