The Matching Between an EMP Simulator and the Pulse Generator

The input properties of the parallel-plate Harvard EMP simulator (HES) and the means for matching the simulator to the pulse generator have been studied in detail. Due to mismatching, multiple reflections occur between connections, and the originally generated single pulse becomes a complicated pulse sequence which includes not only the main impulse, but also many parasitic pulses. The parasitic pulses can be eliminated by meeting the conditions for match, or they can be separated from the main pulse by increasing the electrical distance between the simulator and the generator. The input properties of the simulator can be represented in terms of an "apparent impedance" which depends on the part of the pulse sequence under consideration. For the main incident pulse, the apparent impedance is a resistance close to the characteristic impedance of the simulator for CW operation at low frequencies.