Low-voltage triggering for a pseudospark switch with an auxiliary glow discharge

Different electric circuits for triggering the switch with a trigger unit b ased on an auxiliary glow discharge are discussed. Most attention is concen trated on the recent experimental results on low voltage triggering of the switch and on the mechanisms for the main discharge initiation under the ac tion of the trigger pulse. Due to modifications in the trigger electric cir cuit, the switch is triggered starting from a voltage of 50 V at a current level in the trigger circuit of 10 mA. With a voltage of 200-250 V and a tr igger current of about 0.25 A, the delay time to triggering does not exceed 200 ns.