Measuring multimegavolt pulsed voltages using Compton-generated electrons

The “Compton–Hall” voltmeter is a radiation-based voltage diagnostic that has been developed to measure voltages on high-power (TW) pulsed generators. The instrument collimates photons generated from bremsstrahlung produced in the diode onto an aluminum target to generate Compton-generated electrons. Permanent magnets bend the Compton electron orbits that escape the target toward a silicon pin diode detector. A GaAs photoconductive detector (PCD) detects photons that pass through the Compton target. The diode voltage is determined from the ratio of the electron dose in the pin detector to the x-ray dose in the PCD. The Integrated Tiger Series of electron–photon transport codes is used to determine the relationship between the measured dose ratio and the diode voltage. Variations in the electron beam’s angle of incidence on the bremsstrahlung target produce changes in the shape of the photon spectrum that lead to large variations in the voltage inferred from the voltmeter. The voltage uncertainty is minimized when the voltmeter is fielded at an angle of 45° with respect to the bremsstrahlung target. In this position, the photon spectra for different angles of incidence all converge onto a single spectrum reducing the uncertainty in the voltage to less than 10% for voltages below 4 MV. Higher and lower voltages than the range considered in this article can be measured by adjusting the strength of the applied magnetic field or the position of the electron detector relative to the Compton target. The instrument was fielded on the Gamble II pulsed-power generator configured with a plasma opening switch. Measurements produced a time-dependent voltage with a peak (3.7 MV) that agrees with nuclear activation measurements and a pulse shape that is consistent with the measured radiation pulse shape.