Contents I. Introduction
The USE OF pulsed-power systems to generate programmable output pulses has been researched for at least two decades. Initial work concentrated on electromagnetic launcher performance. Pulsewidths (FWHM) ranging from hundreds of microseconds to several milliseconds have been published [1]– [7]. More recently, submicrosecond pulse shaping has been introduced for material studies using isentropic compression experiments (ICEs). Magnetically driven isentropic compression in materials has generated a wealth of data on the properties of materials under dynamic shock loading [8]. This technique relies on current shaping to produce magnetic pressures that move the state of the materials along an isentrope while avoiding the formation of shock waves in the target material. The Z machine at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) has demonstrated shaped current pulses for ICEs through the staged triggering of nine sets of pulse-forming lines [9]. On smaller platforms, SNL's Veloce pulser has demonstrated shaped current pulses up to 3 MA, with a rise time of 300 ns, using two independently controlled trigger points [10].
