Slit-mounted LED fiducial system for rotating mirror streak cameras

We have developed a fiducial system for rotating mirror streak cameras that utilizes light emitting diodes mounted at the slit position of the camera. The diodes are driven to the required high brightness by a unique pulse power circuit designed to provide high voltage, high current pulses 18 nanoseconds in length at a frequency of up to 2.5 megahertz. The availability of super bright light emitting diodes with a wavelength of 630 to 640 nanometers allows us to record fiducial pulses, at streaking speeds in excess of 20mm per microsecond, on all the black and white films commonly used in high speed photography. The time marks on the film record are referenced to the real time of the experiment from a clock-driver that controls the start and frequency of the fiducial pulse train and by three adjustable and discreet blanked fiducials. This paper discusses the development of this system and describes the full setup as used at LLNL. 6 refs., 4 figs