9314845 Gundersen This two-year award supports U.S.-France cooperative research in applied physics among research groups led by Martin A. Gundersen, University of Southern California, Jean-Pierre Boeuf at the University of Toulouse and V. Puech of the University of Paris, Orsay. The objective of the research is to study the applied physics and applications of pseudosparks and back-lighted thyratons devices. The pseudospark is a promising, inexpensive high voltage switch with possible environmental and semiconductor applications. It can be used for a range of scientific activities, including the studies of the effects of beams on materials growth and as a plasma lens for focusing high energy beams. The U.S. investigator is the innovator of the optically triggered pseudospark and brings to this collaboration considerable experimental expertise in pulsed power research. This is complemented by the French group's computational expertise and their recent work in modeling of low temperature plasmas. The U.S. group will stress experiment and applications; whereas the French groups will develop models of the underlying physics, calculations of the basic properties, and conduct experiments primarily related to switching applications. ***
