Resistance measurements on a gas discharge switching device and on projectile plasma armatures for EML applications

The energy deposited in a switching element is dominated by the ohmic resistance, the current, and the duration of the current pulse. Measurements of the resistance of a gas discharge switch and projectile armatures are presented. The measurements have been carried out for different materials and different types of gases for various pressure and current values. It is shown that the resistance decreases with increasing current and ranges between 7 and 0.5 mΩ for the spark gap (10⩽I⩽210 kA) and between 20 and 0.25 mΩ for the plasma armature (10⩽I⩽400 kA). A charge of more than 400 C can be transferred by the spark gap