Electric Field Measurement in Space by Using Pockels Sensor

Abstract

In order to design and develop electric power apparatus it is important to analyze electrical discharges, and a measurement of an electric field is greatly helpful to it. There are some methods for measuring the electric field. Among them a Pockels sensor is based on an optical method and has many advantages.
There is a request to miniaturize a sensor from a view point of spatial resolution. An optical waveguide technique has been successfully introduced in Pockels sensor to achieve the spatial resolution of micrometers.
As a senor for measuring electric field in space it must be confirmed about two characteristics. One is limitation of its caliblation in non-uniform fields and the other is its operation with space charges. Pockels sensors except for what in fixed envirornment must be calibrated under uniform field and it is surmised there is limitation. In consideration of discharge measurement charge attachiment on Pockels sensor is inevitable. In this paper these two points are examined.