wa371@sdcc12.UUCP (wa371) (05/17/85)
Crytrons have been in the news lately. It was asserted that they are
indispensable for a nuclear bomb, and that Isreal has acquired many crytrons,
contrary to the wishes of the U.S.A., and that they are only manufactured
by Edgerton, Germeshousen, and Grier in this country.
So, someone please explain the details of a crytron.
Bernd <bear-nd>
(Not affiliated with, nor speaking for U.C. San Diego)
UUCP: ...!ucbvax!sdcsvax!sdcc12!wa371, ARPA: sdcsvax!sdcc12!wa371@nosc
*** hooray for USENET ***will@anasazi.UUCP (Will Fuller) (05/22/85)
> Crytrons have been in the news lately. It was asserted that they are > indispensable for a nuclear bomb, and that Isreal has acquired many crytrons, > contrary to the wishes of the U.S.A., and that they are only manufactured > by Edgerton, Germeshousen, and Grier in this country. > So, someone please explain the details of a crytron. > If it is the same sort of crytron I'm thinking of, its an ultra fast vacuum tube style high voltage switch. They put a minute amount of radioactive gas in the thing so that the ionization time of the gas inside the tube is shortened. Crytrons are used to turn on pockel cells for Q-switching solid state lasers to increase the peak energy output by cavity dumping. -- William H. Fuller {decvax|ihnp4|hao}!noao!terak!anasazi!will