Peak Power describes which characteristic of the pulse?

Peak Power describes which characteristic of the pulse?

• A. The energy per pulse
• B. The number of pulses per second
• C. The time width of the pulse
• D. The maximum power density during on time

Answer: (D)

Peak power is the highest instantaneous power density reached while the pulse is on. It represents the maximum power at the peak of the pulse waveform during the on period. This differs from energy per pulse, which is the total energy delivered in one pulse (the area under the power-versus-time curve), and from the repetition rate, which is how many pulses occur per second. The pulse width is how long the pulse lasts; for a given pulse energy, shortening the pulse width increases the peak power (roughly P_peak ≈ E_p / t_p). So peak power describes the maximum power density during the on time.

Peak power is the highest instantaneous power density reached while the pulse is on. It represents the maximum power at the peak of the pulse waveform during the on period. This differs from energy per pulse, which is the total energy delivered in one pulse (the area under the power-versus-time curve), and from the repetition rate, which is how many pulses occur per second. The pulse width is how long the pulse lasts; for a given pulse energy, shortening the pulse width increases the peak power (roughly P_peak ≈ E_p / t_p). So peak power describes the maximum power density during the on time.