Pulsed power packs a punch: Lasers, electromagnetic launchers, and fusion reactors require enormous, instantaneous pulses of power not available from the utilities´ mains

For many applications, power must be derived in short, huge bursts. To deliver this pulsed power, energy must be collected at low power, stored, and then released almost instantaneously. The author details the linking of capacitors and inductors and explains how the pulse is created. Attention is given to a specialized variant of pulse generation whereby capacitors and inductors make use of explosives to compress magnetic flux in inductive energy stores. The advantages and drawbacks of batteries, flywheels, and DC and AC machines are also discussed.