A review of laser-triggered switching

A review of laser-triggered switching (LTS) is given. The theory of the laser-induced voltage breakdown of as gas-filled spark gap is considered and the theory is compared with observations wherever possible. Included in the review are: voltages ranging from a few kilovolts to more than 3 MV; dielectric media of vacuum, gas, liquid, and solid; delay as low as 1 ns and jitter as low as 0.1 ns.