Development of a nine spatial point, multipulse Thomson scattering diagnostic

A Thomson scattering diagnostic has been developed for the C-2 field-reversed configuration device. Based on a multipulse ruby laser, the system measures the electron temperature at nine spatial points. These points are chosen from 22 selectable positions covering r≈1-41?cm. Twin collection lenses couple the scattered photons to nine optical fiber pairs. Extra fiber lengths delay the signals from different spatial points relative to each other, allowing up to three points to be analyzed by a single polychromator. The polychromator, using compact photomultipliers as detectors, has six spectral channels covering the range of 685-725 nm and is able to estimate electron temperatures of ≈10-200?eV. The photomultiplier output signals are recorded by digital storage oscilloscopes integrated with the main MDSplus database, with temperature and error estimates generated automatically at the conclusion of each plasma discharge.     

Upgraded multipulse laser and multipoint Thomson scattering diagnostics on EAST

Recently a new Thomson scattering diagnostic system was upgraded in EAST tokamak experiment using a multipulse Nd:YAG (neodymium-yttrium aluminium garnet) laser and a multipoint observation volumes. This diagnostic uses a new optical laser alignment technique that was made to determine accurately the laser position, and a new lens collection system that enables the measurement of wider plasma's object. A composite control system made we can get the results in several seconds. Furthermore, a new data processing method was adopted for much exact results.     

Thomson scattering diagnostic upgrade on DIII-D

The DIII-D Thomson scattering system has been upgraded. A new data acquisition hardware was installed, adding the capacity for additional spatial channels and longer acquisition times for temperature and density measurements. Detector modules were replaced with faster transimpedance circuitry, increasing the signal-to-noise ratio by a factor of 2. This allows for future expansion to the edge system. A second phase upgrade scheduled for 2010-2011 includes the installation of four 1 J/pulse Nd:YAG lasers at 50 Hz repetition rate. This paper presents the first completed phase of the upgrade and performance comparison between the original system and the upgraded system. The plan for the second phase is also presented.     

New Thomson scattering diagnostic on RFX-mod

This article describes the completely renovated Thomson scattering (TS) diagnostic employed in the modified Reversed Field eXperiment (RFX-mod) since it restarted operation in 2005. The system measures plasma electron temperature and density profiles along an equatorial diameter, measuring in 84 positions with 7 mm spatial resolution. The custom built Nd:YLF laser produces a burst of 10 pulses at 50 Hz with energy of 3 J, providing ten profile measurements in a plasma discharge of about 300 ms duration. An optical delay system accommodates three scattering volumes in each of the 28 interference filter spectrometers. Avalanche photodiodes detect the Thomson scattering signals and allow them to be recorded by means of waveform digitizers. Electron temperature is obtained using an alternative relative calibration method, based on the use of a supercontinuum light source. Rotational Raman scattering in nitrogen has supplied the absolute calibration for the electron density measurements. During RFX-mod experimental campaigns in 2005, the TS diagnostic has demonstrated its performance, routinely providing reliable high resolution profiles.     

Laser system for high resolution Thomson scattering diagnostics on the COMPASS tokamak

A new Thomson scattering diagnostic has been designed and is currently being installed on the COMPASS tokamak in IPP Prague in the Czech Republic. The requirements for this system are very stringent with approximately 3 mm spatial resolution at the plasma edge. A critical part of this diagnostic is the laser source. To achieve the specified parameters, a multilaser solution is utilized. Two 30 Hz 1.5 J Nd:YAG laser systems, used at the fundamental wavelength of 1064 nm, are located outside the tokamak area at a distance of 20 m from the tokamak. The design of the laser beam transport path is presented. The approach leading to a final choice of optimal focusing optics is given. As well as the beam path to the tokamak, a test path of the same optical length was built. Performance tests of the laser system carried out using the test path are described.     

The development of Thomson scattering system on HL-2A tokamak

A new Thomson scattering diagnostic system is successfully developed to measure core plasma electron temperature (Te) and density (ne) of HL-2A tokamak (major radius R=165 cm, minor radius a=40 cm). In this system, a standard lamp-monochromator combination is utilized for the calibration of spectral responses. By sweeping in the range of 750-1200 nm with a step of 2 nm, the work can be done automatically for one-point calibration and then for other. Electronic gain calibration and gain monitoring are done by pulsed light emitting diode light. By utilizing an intense Nd:YAG laser of pulse energy up to 4 J and employing good quality interference filters in the five-channel filter polychromator to surpress greatly the stray light, the TS system can be routinely used to make measurements with good quality data. After each HL-2A plasma discharge, the measured Te and ne data are transferred to HL-2A database for lookup and analyses.     

Thomson scattering diagnostic systems in the ITER divertor

A diagnostic array has been developed for studying the operating modes of the divertor in the ITER tokamak-reactor using the Thomson scattering technique. The aim of this study is to measure the spatial profiles of the electron temperature and density. The structure of the diagnostic setup was selected on the basis of a classical diagnostic geometry and the high-resolution LIDAR system, which provide access to different regions of the divertor plasma. A severe radiation environment, limited access to the plasma in the ITER divertor, and a high-dust environment (the divertor plate erosion material) in the divertor volume pose many problems for performing diagnostics under unique conditions having no analogs in the tokamaks that are now in operation. Different methods for protecting optical surfaces from plasma-enriched deposition are proposed and analyzed. The efficiency of these methods has been demonstrated in bench tests. The concept of laser and detector systems and diffraction polychromators capable of operating at different electron temperatures with a lower limit of 1 eV, has been justified and approved.     

Stray light analysis for the Thomson scattering diagnostic of the ETE Tokamak

Thomson scattering is a well-established diagnostic for measuring local electron temperature and density in fusion plasma, but this technique is particularly difficult to implement due to stray light that can easily mask the scattered signal from plasma. To mitigate this problem in the multipoint Thomson scattering system implemented at the ETE (Experimento Tokamak Esfe?rico) a detailed stray light analysis was performed. The diagnostic system was simulated in ZEMAX software and scattering profiles of the mechanical parts were measured in the laboratory in order to have near realistic results. From simulation, it was possible to identify the main points that contribute to the stray signals and changes in the dump were implemented reducing the stray light signals up to 60 times.     

Progress of development of Thomson scattering diagnostic system on COMPASS

A new Thomson scattering diagnostic system has been designed and is being built now on the COMPASS tokamak at the Institute of Plasma Physics ASCR in Prague (IPP Prague) in the Czech Republic. This contribution focuses on design, development, and installation of the light collection and detection system. High spatial resolution of 3 mm will be achieved by a combination of design of collection optics and connected polychromators. Imaging characteristics of both core and edge plasma collection objectives are described and fiber backplane design is presented. Several calibration procedures are discussed. The operational deployment of the Thomson scattering diagnostic is planned by the end of 2010.     

Edge and core Thomson scattering systems and their calibration on the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak

A new 10 channel Thomson scattering (TS) system was installed on the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak to measure radial profiles of electron density and temperature at the plasma edge with high radial resolution. Together with the already existing TS system, which is now used for the core plasma, electron density and temperature profiles extending from the edge to the core are now obtained in a single discharge. The TS systems are relatively calibrated by an optical parametric oscillator.     

Spectral analyzer for Thomson scattering

We describe here a four-channel spectral analyzer suitable for use in Thomson scattering diagnostics of plasmas, that incorporates several novel features and is inexpensive and physically compact. It is suitable for spectral analysis of light scattered from plasmas having densities down to approximately 10(14) cm(-3) and temperatures up to several hundred electron volts.     

Evolution of the millimeter-wave collective Thomson scattering system of the high-field tokamak Frascati Tokamak Upgrade

We first describe the improved receiving system of the diagnostic experiment of millimeter-wave collective Thomson scattering being run on the Frascati Tokamak Upgrade (FTU), and then discuss some peculiar problems and new operating procedures related to the investigation of strong anomalous spectra of nonthermal origin, many-orders-of-magnitude stronger than the ion thermal feature merged in them, systematically observed in the experimentation, and finally ascribed to a perturbation of the gyrotron that generates the probing beam. Arguments in favor of a more general valence of the solutions actuated for the specific case of FTU are finally given.     

A 130 point Nd:YAG Thomson scattering diagnostic on MAST

A Thomson scattering diagnostic designed to measure both edge and core physics has been implemented on MAST. The system uses eight Nd:YAG lasers, each with a repetition rate of 30 Hz. The relative and absolute timing of the lasers may be set arbitrarily to produce fast bursts of measurements to suit the time evolution of the physics being studied. The scattered light is collected at F/6 by a 100 kg six element lens system with an aperture stop of 290 mm. The collected light is then transferred to 130 polychromators by 130 independent fiber bundles. The data acquisition and processing are based on a distributed computer system of dual core processors embedded in 26 chassis. Each chassis is standalone and performs data acquisition and processing for five polychromators. This system allows data to be available quickly after the MAST shot and has potential for real-time operations.     

Design of collection optics and polychromators for a JT-60SA Thomson scattering system

This paper presents designs of collection optics for a JT-60SA Thomson scattering system. By using tangential (to the toroidal direction) YAG laser injection, three collection optics without strong chromatic aberration generated by the wide viewing angle and small design volume were found to measure almost all the radial space. For edge plasma measurements, the authors optimized the channel number and wavelength ranges of band-pass filters in a polychromator to reduce the relative error in T(e) by considering all spatial channels and a double-pass laser system with different geometric parameters.     

Collection optics design for KSTAR Thomson scattering system

The collection optics designs are described for the Thomson scattering diagnostic of the Korea superconducting tokamak advanced research (KSTAR) device. The optical systems collecting the light emission induced through the interaction between the plasma electrons and a laser beam are key components for the Thomson scattering system. A duo-lens system was examined, and the final optical designs were derived for Thomson scattering diagnostic of KSTAR.     

Deconvolution of Thomson scattering temperature profiles

Deconvolution of Thomson scattering (TS) profiles is required when the gradient length of the electron temperature (T(e)) or density (n(e)) are comparable to the instrument function length (Δ(R)). The most correct method for deconvolution to obtain underlying T(e) and n(e) profiles is by consideration of scattered signals. However, deconvolution at the scattered signal level is complex since it requires knowledge of all spectral and absolute calibration data. In this paper a simple technique is presented where only knowledge of the instrument function I(r) and the measured profiles, T(e, observed)(r) and n(e, observed)(r), are required to obtain underlying T(e)(r) and n(e)(r). This method is appropriate for most TS systems and is particularly important where high spatial sampling is obtained relative to Δ(R).     

Laser beam combiner for Thomson scattering core LIDAR

The light detection and ranging Thomson scattering (TS) diagnostic is advantageous since it only requires a single view port into the tokamak. This technique requires a short pulse laser at high energy, usually showing a limited repetition rate. Having multiple lasers will increase the repetition rate. This paper presents a scanning mirror as a laser beam combiner. Measurements of the position accuracy and jitter show that the pointing stability of the laser beam is within ±25?μrad for over tens of seconds. A control feedback loop is implemented to demonstrate the long term stability. Such a system could be applied for ITER and JET.     

Development of KSTAR Thomson scattering system

To measure the electron temperature (T(e)) and electron density (n(e)) profiles in the Korean Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) device for the KSTAR third campaign (September 2010), we designed and installed a Thomson scattering system. The KSTAR Thomson scattering system is designed as a tangential Thomson scattering system and utilizes the N-, L-, and B-ports. The N-port is designed for the collection optics with a cassette system, the L-port is the laser input port, and the B-port is the location of the beam dump. In this paper, we will describe the final design of the KSTAR Thomson scattering system.     

Design and performance of the collective Thomson scattering receiver at ASDEX Upgrade

Here we present the design of the fast-ion collective Thomson scattering receiver for millimeter wave radiation installed at ASDEX Upgrade, a tokamak for fusion plasma experiments. The receiver can detect spectral power densities of a few eV against the electron cyclotron emission background on the order of 100 eV under presence of gyrotron stray radiation that is several orders of magnitude stronger than the signal to be detected. The receiver down converts the frequencies of scattered radiation (100-110 GHz) to intermediate frequencies (IF) (4.5-14.5 GHz) by heterodyning. The IF signal is divided into 50 IF channels tightly spaced in frequency space. The channels are terminated by square-law detector diodes that convert the signal power into DC voltages. We present measurements of the transmission characteristics and performance of the main receiver components operating at mm-wave frequencies (notch, bandpass, and lowpass filters, a voltage-controlled variable attenuator, and an isolator), the down-converter unit, and the IF components (amplifiers, bandpass filters, and detector diodes). Furthermore, we determine the performance of the receiver as a unit through spectral response measurements and find reasonable agreement with the expectation based on the individual component measurements.     

High sensitivity imaging Thomson scattering for low temperature plasma

A highly sensitive imaging Thomson scattering system was developed for low temperature (0.1-10 eV) plasma applications at the Pilot-PSI linear plasma generator. The essential parts of the diagnostic are a neodymium doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser operating at the second harmonic (532 nm), a laser beam line with a unique stray light suppression system and a detection branch consisting of a Littrow spectrometer equipped with an efficient detector based on a "Generation III" image intensifier combined with an intensified charged coupled device camera. The system is capable of measuring electron density and temperature profiles of a plasma column of 30 mm in diameter with a spatial resolution of 0.6 mm and an observational error of 3% in the electron density (n(e)) and 6% in the electron temperature (T(e)) at n(e) = 4 x 10(19) m(-3). This is achievable at an accumulated laser input energy of 11 J (from 30 laser pulses at 10 Hz repetition frequency). The stray light contribution is below 9 x 10(17) m(-3) in electron density equivalents by the application of a unique stray light suppression system. The amount of laser energy that is required for a n(e) and T(e) measurement is 7 x 10(20)n(e) J, which means that single shot measurements are possible for n(e)>2 x 10(21) m(-3).