Hybrid cell cathodes include manganese dioxide to allow high peak currents.

However, the larger peak current may flow for hundreds of milliseconds, making it considerably hotter and more dangerous than negative lightning.

Applications range from low to high peak currents, requiring standardized test protocols.

Lower internal resistance allows support for applications that require short-term peak currents.

The upper limit of the useful linear region is bound by an excess of changing current combined with distortions created from large peak currents and associated resistance.

Called "Q-bursts", they are produced by intense lightning strikes that transfer large amounts of charge from clouds to the ground, and often carry high peak current.

Reversal is also encountered in AC circuits, where the peak current will be equal in each direction.

The rated pulse rise time is also indirectly the maximum capacity of an applicable peak current .

However, pseudospark switches have undesired plasma phenomena at low peak currents.

A unidirectional device operates as a rectifier in the forward direction like any other avalanche diode, but is made and tested to handle very large peak currents.