This device was invented by Erwin Marx, a German engineer, back in 1924. The first copy was made in 1926. And although the more established name of the mechanism is the Marx generator, it is also called the Marx-Arkadiev generator. This is due to the fact that ten years earlier VK Arkadiev made a "lightning generator" - a device whose operating principle is very similar to the principles of the Marx generator.
Let's try to consider this device in more detail. It is used to obtain high-voltage pulse discharges. The main components are capacitors connected in series in a circuit and charged separately from a source. The result of such an action will be a discharge (more precisely - a spark discharge - or lightning) with a voltage much higher than that obtained from the charging source.
With the help of such generators, it is possible to obtain a discharge with a voltage from ten kV to hundreds of mV. The energy of such impulses can be consumed by tens of mJ!
Where can such settings be applied? First of all, for scientific research, for example, at one time they were used for research in the nuclear field (they were used to simulate reactions), as well as for plasma research.
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Since Marx generators use devices that store energy (capacitors), and also emit ozone and strong ultraviolet radiation during operation, it should be mentioned that an unprepared person should not even try to design such, as it can be deadly.
Separately, mention should be made of the possibility of using the invention of E. Marx as a weapon. It is reliably known about several towers with Max-Arkadiev generators in the Moscow region, near the city of Istra. There, in the seventies of the last century, a testing ground was created for testing a new superweapon that used powerful electromagnetic pulses.
Incredible Mechanisms will definitely write about this unique training ground in the very near future.