title: Demonstration of electro-optical switching at the 26 cm x 26 cm aperture using plasma electrodes.
abstract: We have constructed and tested a longitudinal Pockels cell with a clear aperture of 26 cm x 26 cm. Transparent plasma electrodes formed in a low-pressure glow discharge were used to apply a uniform electric field to a 1-cm thick KDP crystal. Optical switching times of 50 nsec were achieved with a bare KDP crystal. Significant improvement in switching time resulted from using a glass-plate-KDP-crystal sandwich.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Henesian
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Goldhar