PBFA II, a 100 TW Pulsed Power Driver for the Inertial Confinement Fusion Program

The 100 TW Particle Beam Fusion Accelerator (PBFA II) is well into the procurement and assembly phases, with the first shot scheduled for January 1986. Installation of several major sub-assemblies is underway. The PBFA II output will drive a fast opening switch in the vacuum insulator stack, providing a 30 MV, 15 ns output pulse, which accelerates lithium ions. The ions will focus onto a pellet containing deuterium-tritium, producing fusion energy. Several research areas will be reviewed: low jitter, highly reliable 370 kJ Marx generators; highly synchronized gas switching at 5 MV; efficient water switch operation of 5 MV lines; series-parallel arrangements for increasing voltage or current; and plasma erosion opening switches.