Picosecond microwave pulse generation (A)

Picosecond duration X‐band microwave pulses have been generated using a laser‐activated photoconductive switch. These pulses have been used to observe the microwave reflection from optically excited germanium. The reflection measurements indicate that the microwave pulse has a full width at half‐maximum of 50 ps and is synchronized with picosecond precision to the laser pulse. A high‐resolution radar experiment is also reported.