15-Nov-2021
Remote high-voltage sensor unveiled at Sandia gamma ray lab
DOE/Sandia National Laboratories
Using a crystal smaller than a dime and a laser smaller than a shoebox, a Sandia National Laboratories team has safely measured 20 million volts without physically contacting the electrical flow. Accurate measurement of gamma ray energy might be only one of the benefits of the new measuring technique.It could serve various accelerator facilities where series of crystals could provide voltage readings at multiple remote locations.The technique also would work for the power transmission industry, auto manufacturers, lightning research centers or anywhere one wants to remotely measure or monitor a very high energy source. The device also could “see” an electrical short in a wall from a distance due to the disruption in the electromagnetic field surrounding the current-carrying wire, which would allow non-invasive detection of a fault in the circuitry.
- Journal
- Scientific Reports
- Funder
- National Nuclear Security Administration