High-speed, low-cost laser-triggered plasma shutter

Design and construction of a CO₂ laser-triggered plasma shutter is described. An inexpensive pyroelectric detector and a novel needle-resistor spark gap, requiring an applied voltage of less than 500 V, are employed. The total electronic delay can be made to be less than 15 ns with subnanosecond jitter. This plasma shutter finds applications in producing picosecond CO₂ laser pulses and in optical isolation.