Preface

The 2006 IEEE International Power Modulator Conference (IPMC) was held at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City near Washington, DC, USA on May 14-18. This IPMC was the third consecutive combination of the Power Modulator Symposium with the High Voltage Workshop. Also of note is that the conference is now financially sponsored by the IEEE Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society (DEIS) while still maintaining technical co-sponsorship by DEIS, the IEEE Electron Devices Society (EDS) and the IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society (NPSS). These sponsorships are important ingredients for maintaining the professional recognition and stability of the conference. This truly international program included many technical, scientific, and industrial advances in the fields of repetitive pulsed power, high voltage components and dielectrics, closing and opening switches, and applications such as high power microwaves, electromagnetic launch, accelerators, and a variety of other high current loads. Approximately one half of the over 200 submitted abstracts were from our international colleagues. At the conference, there were 246 attendees at the sessions hailing from 15 countries around the world: Canada, China, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, Netherlands, Russia, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.