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Sub-terahertz ground-penetrating radar systems offer an alternative to radio wave-based systems in the airborne imaging of buried objects. Laboratory prototype systems operating in W-band (75–110 GHz) and F-band (90–140 GHz) are presented, detecting the distance between target and source and imaging metal objects buried in mixed soil. The experimental results show that imaging in the 100–150 GHz frequency range is feasible for underground applications but significantly restricted by the attenuation characteristics of the medium covering the targets. A higher power source and more sensitive receiving components are essential to increase the penetration capability and expand the application settings of this approach.

System-on-chip (SoC) millimeter wave integrated circuit technology has been developed and employed in chip heterodyne radiometers in Electron Cyclotron Emission Imaging (ECEI) and Microwave Imaging Reflectometer (MIR) on the DIII-D tokamak for 2D electron temperature and density fluctuation diagnostics. The W-band (75-110 GHz) ECEI system has been employed with 20 poloidal horn receiver modules with customized monolithic integrated circuit chips and internal local oscillator coupling path. The new SoC approach demonstrates > 30 dB additional gain on the receiver and 95% electronics noise suppression compared to the previous Schottky diode mixer array 1 . An F-band (110-140 GHz) receiver chip has been developed to measure MHD and turbulence behavior on the DIII-D high-field side, such as Alfven eigenmodes. Furthermore, it can image pedestal structure evolution on fusion facilities with stronger magnetic fields, such as ASDEX-U, EAST, HL-2M, and LHD. The F-band chip performance has been tested in the laboratory. Also, V-band (55-75 GHz) transmitter and receiver modules (55-75 GHz) have been developed for DIII-D and NSTX-U Microwave Imaging Reflectometer (MIR) application suitability for 2D density fluctuation imaging on the pedestal region 2 .

An extensive validation effort performed for a modest-beta NSTX NBI-heated H-mode discharge predicts that electron thermal transport can be entirely explained by electron-scale turbulence fluctuations driven by the electron temperature gradient mode (ETG), both in conditions of strong and weak ETG turbulence drive. Thermal power-balance estimates computed by TRANSP as well as the shape of the high-k density fluctuation wavenumber spectrum and the fluctuation level ratio between strongly driven and weakly driven ETG-turbulence conditions can be matched by nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations and a synthetic diagnostic for high-k scattering. Linear gyrokinetic simulations suggest that the ion-scale instability in the weak ETG condition is close to the critical threshold for the kinetic ballooning mode instability, and nonlinear ion-scale gyrokinetic simulations show that turbulence might be in a state reminiscent of a Dimits' shift regime, opening speculation on the role that ion-scale turbulence might play for the weak ETG condition. A simulation that matched all experimental constraints is chosen to project high-k turbulence spectra in NSTX-U, revealing that the new high-k system [R. Barchfeld et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 89, 10C114 (2018)] should be sensitive to density fluctuations from radially elongated streamer structures. Two schemes are designed to characterize the radial and poloidal wavenumber dependence of the density fluctuation wavenumber power spectrum around the streamer peak, suggesting future high-k fluctuation measurements could be sensitive to an asymmetry in the kr spectrum introduced due to the presence of strong background flow shear.

Wide bandwidth transmitter and receiver chips have been successfully developed by the Davis Millimeter-Wave Research Center, including V-band (55–75 GHz) and W-band (75–110 GHz), with F-band (110–140 GHz) receiver chips awaiting test following tape-out. They are expected to satisfy many commercial and scientific applications with substantial cost reduction. They provide 30x signal gain compared with previous Schottky mixer planar antenna front-end approaches by employing a pre-LNA on the receiver chip. The typical noise temperature is suppressed below 4,000 Kelvin. An internal local oscillator chain provides a compact, portable detection solution.

Ultrashort Pulse Reflectometry (USPR) is a plasma diagnostic technique involving the propagation of a number of ultrashort duration (~few nsec) chirps. A next generation USPR system is under development, spanning 28 to 75 GHz, for use on compact, short duration, magnetically-confined fusion devices.

Monolithic, millimeter-wave "system-on-chip" (SoC) technology has been employed in heterodyne receiver integrated circuit radiometers in a newly developed Electron Cyclotron Emission Imaging (ECEI) system on the DIII-D tokamak for 2D electron temperature profile and fluctuation evolution diagnostics. A prototype module operating in the E-band (72 GHz-80 GHz) was first employed in a 2 × 10 element array that demonstrated significant improvements over the previous quasi-optical Schottky diode mixer arrays during the 2018 operational campaign of the DIII-D tokamak. For compatibility with International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor relevant scenarios on DIII-D, the SoC ECEI system was upgraded with 20 horn-waveguide receiver modules. Each individual module contains a University of California Davis designed W-band (75 GHz-110 GHz) receiver die that integrates a broadband low noise amplifier, a double balanced down-converting mixer, and a ×4 multiplier on the local oscillator (LO) chain. A ×2 multiplier and two IF amplifiers are packaged and selected to further boost the signal strength and downconvert the signal frequency. The upgraded W-band array exhibits >30 dB additional gain and 20× improvement in noise temperature compared with the previous Schottky diode radio frequency mixer input systems; an internal 8 times multiplier chain is used to bring down the LO frequency below 12 GHz, thereby obviating the need for a large aperture for quasi-optical LO coupling and replacing it with coaxial connectors. Horn-waveguide shielding housing avoids out-of-band noise interference on each individual module. The upgraded ECEI system plays an important role for absolute electron temperature evolution and fluctuation measurements for edge and core region transport physics studies.

This Letter describes a super-oscillatory lens (SOL), with concentric ring-type metallic slits photolithographically fabricated on a glass substrate, that can function at subterahertz frequencies. The SOL has been investigated both experimentally and theoretically and demonstrates a spatial resolution of 1.5 mm ( 0.5 λ ), which is 0.45 times the diffraction limit, with a focal length of 75 mm ( 25 λ ) at 100 GHz ( λ = 3 m m ). Furthermore, the depth of focus of the lens was measured to be 47 mm, which is 10.8 times larger than that of a conventional lens. This type of SOL, with subdiffraction focusing, is thus highly effective for use in industrial inspections with millimeter and terahertz waves.

We report on hot test measurements of a wide-bandwidth, 220-GHz sheet beam traveling wave tube amplifier developed under the Defense advanced research projects agency (DARPA) HiFIVE program. Nano-computer numerical control (CNC) milling techniques were employed for the precision fabrication of double vane, half-period staggered interaction structures achieving submicrometer tolerances and nanoscale surface roughness. A multilayer diffusion bonding technique was implemented to complete the structure demonstrating wide bandwidth (>50 GHz) with an insertion loss of about −5 dB achieved during transmission measurements of the circuit. The sheet beam electron gun utilized nanocomposite scandate tungsten cathodes that provided over 438-A/cm2 current density in the 12.5:1 ratio sheet beam. An InP HBT-based monolithic microwave integrated circuit preamplifier was employed for TWT gain measurements in the stable amplifier operation region. In the wide-bandwidth operation mode (for gun voltage of 20.9 kV), a gain of over 24 dB was measured over the frequency range of 207–221 GHz. In the high-gain operation mode (for gun voltage of 21.8 kV), over 30 dB of gain was measured over the frequency range of 197–202 GHz. High-power tests were conducted employing an extended interaction klystron.

A V-band power amplifier in a bulk 65 nm CMOS technology with a peak gain 14.5 dB and 3-dB bandwidth of 28.8 GHz (50.8–79.6 GHz) is presented. The techniques to boost bandwidth and power efficiency are presented. In addition, the design of dummy filling to satisfy manufacturing density requirements while having negligible effects on performances is discussed in details. The PA features a three stage transformer coupled differential architecture with integrated input and output baluns on-chip. The PA achieves a measured saturated output power of 15.1 dBm and output 1 dB compression power of 12.9 dBm at 65 GHz. The peak power-added efficiency is 18.9%. The entire PA occupies area of 0.31 mm2, while consuming 150 mW from a 1.25 V supply.

Measurement resolution is one of the most important elements for industrial applications. However, conventional lenses for terahertz (THz) or millimeter-wave cannot achieve high resolution due to the diffraction limit. Here, we demonstrate two types of super-oscillatory lenses that are very effective for sub-diffraction focusing at THz.

Radiometer systems and a Michelson interferometer, have been operated routinely to detect the elec-tron cyclotron emission (ECE) from EAST plasmas for diagnosing the local electron temperature. A common quasi-optical antenna placed inside the vacuum vessel is employed to collect and focus the plasma emission, and the line of sight is along a radial chord. All of the systems are located in a diagnostic room where the plasma emission is transmitted by overmoded corrugated waveguide. In-situ absolute intensity calibration has been carried out for both the radiometer systems and the Michelson interferometer independently, to ensure that the ECE diagnostic provides an independent electron temperature measurement. In order to diagnose the small-amplitude electron temperature fluctuation, a correlation ECE (CECE) diagnostic has been designed and commissioned recently. The CECE diagnostic employs an independent antenna system which has improved poloidal resolution. A synthetic diagnostic is realized by using the simulation code SPECE to interpret the ECE data in plasmas with non-Maxwellian distribution, and preliminary results imply that the ECE data could be still useful as a localized measurement in plasmas with non-thermal electrons, such as the LHW-heated plasmas on EAST.

Ultrashort Pulse Reflectometry (USPR) is a plasma diagnostic technique involving the propagation and reflection of ultrashort duration (∼few ns) chirps. The reflected packets pass through a multichannel filter with time-of-flight measurements performed on each of the filtered packets. A next generation USPR system is under development, spanning 28-75 GHz, for use on compact, short duration, magnetically confined fusion devices. This system presents a dramatic increase in performance compared with an earlier USPR system employed on the LLNL Sustained Spheromak Physics Experiment device more than a decade ago. The new system replaces upconverting mixers with higher power active multiplier chains to generate mm-wave transmitter chirps, with custom time-of-flight electronics reducing the time per measurement by a factor of 3X. Finally, the system is equipped with a field programmable gate array for data acquisition and analysis.

An Electron Cyclotron Emission Imaging (ECEI) system has been developed on the J-TEXT tokamak and employed for the multi-dimensional electron temperature fluctuation imaging measurement in 2019 campaign. The intelligent control module has been developed and been used to flexibly setup the 256-channel ECEI system configurations for different plasma scenarios. The adjustments of key parameters are merged in this module including size and position of the geometric observation window, and the dynamic range of the signal and image resolution. The user-friendly interface is also developed for the tokamak operator to set the ECEI system focusing on physics interested region. This module is installed close to the diagnostic system around the J-TEXT tokamak, which can be remotely controlled by authorized operators in the control room. It significantly improves ECEI flexibility and stability, and also keeps the operation technician away from the harsh radiation environment.

Recent advances in radio-frequency system-on-chip technology have provided mm-wave fusion plasma diagnostics with the capability to overcome major challenges such as space inefficiency, inflexible installation, sensitivity, susceptibility to EMI, and prohibitively high cost of conventional discrete component assemblies as higher imaging resolution and data accuracy are achieved by increasing the number of channels. Nowadays, shrinking transistor gate lengths on fabrication techniques have enabled hundreds of GHz operation, which is suitable for millimeter-wave diagnostics on current and future tokamaks. The Davis Millimeter Wave Research Center (DMRC) has successfully developed V-band (55-75 GHz) transmitter and receiver chips for Microwave Imaging Reflectometer (MIR) instruments. The transmitter can illuminate 8 different frequencies simultaneously within 55-75 GHz. Moreover, the receiver has the capability to amplify the reflected signal (>30 dB) while offering 10-30× reduction in noise temperature compared to current MIR instruments. Plasma diagnostics requires ultra-wideband (more than 20 GHz) operation which is approximately nine times wider bandwidth than the recent commercial impetus for communication systems. Current efforts are underway for gallium-arsenide monolithic microwave integrated circuit receiver chips at W-band (75-110 GHz) and F-band (90-140 GHz) permitting measurements at higher toroidal magnetic fields.

A new generation of millimeter-wave heterodyne imaging receiver arrays has been developed and demonstrated on the DIII-D electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) system. Improved circuit integration, improved noise performance, and enhanced shielding from out-of-band emission are made possible by using advanced liquid crystal polymer (LCP) substrates and monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) receiver chips. This array exhibits ∼15 dB additional gain and >30× reduction in noise temperature compared to previous generation ECEI arrays. Each LCP horn-waveguide module houses a 3 × 3 mm GaAs MMIC receiver chip, which consists of a low noise millimeter-wave preamplifier, balanced mixer, and IF amplifier together with a local oscillator multiplier chain driven at ∼12 GHz. A proof-of-principle partial LCP instrument with 5 poloidal channels was installed on DIII-D in 2017, with a full proof-of-principle system (20 poloidal × 8 radial channels) installed and commissioned in early 2018. The enhanced shielding of the LCP modules is seen to greatly reduce the sensitivity of ECEI signals to out-of-band microwave noise which has plagued previous ECEI studies on DIII-D. The LCP ECEI system is expected to be a valuable diagnostic tool for pedestal region measurements, focusing particularly on electron temperature evolution during edge localized mode bursting.

Electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) and microwave imaging reflectometry diagnostics have been employed on a number of magnetic fusion plasma confinement devices. The common approach is based on a Gaussian beam assumption, which generates good spatial resolution (centimeter level). However, the radial focal depth is limited by the poloidal resolution, which is comparable with the Rayleigh length (∼150 mm). By contrast, a new Bessel beam approach has been developed and demonstrated to generate much longer focal depth with the property of propagation stability. To test the new approach, the DIII-D tokamak LCP ECEI optics have been re-designed to support a Bessel beam approach based on an axicon lens. The achievable radial coverage can exceed that of the current Gaussian approach by 3×. The imaging result is discussed in this paper based on the simulation analysis and laboratory testing result.

Progress in microwave and millimeter-wave technologies has made possible advanced diagnostics for application to various fields, including radio astronomy, alien substance detection, plasma diagnostics, airborne and space-borne imaging radars called as synthetic aperture radars, and living body measurements. Transmission, reflection, scattering, and radiation processes of electromagnetic waves are utilized as diagnostic principles. The diagnostics are classified as active and passive systems. Specifically, active radar reflectometry has become of importance in various applications due to the possibility of high localization and accessibility of the measurements as well as the non-invasive nature of the systems. In this paper, recent development and application of radar reflectometers are described. The key words are profile reflectometry, fluctuation reflectometry, imaging radar (optics imaging and synthetic aperture imaging), and radio-optics fusion technology in order to improve the spatial reso...

A new extensive validation study performed for a modest-beta National Spherical Torus eXperiment (NSTX) neutral beam injection-heated H-mode discharge predicts that electron thermal transport can be entirely explained by short-wavelength electron-scale turbulence fluctuations driven by the electron temperature gradient mode (ETG), both in conditions of strong and weak ETG turbulence drive. Quantitative comparisons between high-k fluctuation measurements (Smith et al 2008 Rev. Sci. Instrum. 79 123501) and simulations are performed via a novel synthetic high-k diagnostic. Computationally intensive electron-scale simulations featuring an unusually large domain (L r, L θ) ∼ (20, 20)ρ s are shown to be required for accurate deployment of the synthetic diagnostic. Ion thermal transport is shown to be close to neoclassical levels, consistent with stable ion-scale turbulence simulations conducted with the GYRO code (Candy and Waltz 2003 J. Comput. Phys. 186 545). Electron-scale GYRO simulations are shown to match the thermal power-balance estimates from TRANSP. The frequency spectra characteristics of electron-scale turbulence (spectral peak and width) can be consistently reproduced by the synthetic spectra, but these reveal not to be a critical constraint on the simulation model. The shape of the high-k wavenumber spectrum and the fluctuation level ratio between the strong and weak ETG conditions can also be simultaneously matched by electron-scale simulations within sensitivity scans about the experimental profile values, and result to be great discriminators of the turbulence models analyzed. Together, electron thermal power comparisons and quantitative agreement of electron-scale turbulence spectra give strong evidence supporting electron-scale ETG fluctuations as the main mechanism driving anomalous electron thermal transport in the two outer-core conditions of the modest-beta NSTX H-mode analyzed.

The radial current generated by ion-neutral momentum exchange is suggested to be one of the methods for generating the radial electric field (E r ), the turbulence transport, and the low-confinement-mode (L-mode) to high-confinement-mode (H-mode) transitions at the edge of tokamak plasmas. In this analysis of the gyrocenter shift, the plasma pressure gradient, the neutral density gradient and the neutral velocity are the major driving mechanisms of the radial current and the electric field. When there is turbulence, small-scale $$\tilde E \times B$$ eddies induce cross-field transport. The confinement time of the National Spherical Torus Experiment is compared with the density fluctuation level to verify the turbulence-induced energy diffusion coefficient from the theory of the gyrocenter shift.

In this work, we present a multi-frequency illumination transmitter for microwave imaging radar reflectometry (MIR) diagnostics of thermonuclear fusion plasmas. The transmitter is able to illuminate 8 tones simultaneously. To improve the power amplifier stability, the cross-coupled capacitor based neutralization technique is adopted. Diplexer based power combining is first adopted to realize heterogeneous frequency power combining. Each of the 8 frequencies demonstrates more than 0 dBm of saturation power tunable from 62 to 78 GHz. The transmitter features multiple mixers and power amplifiers for power boosting of each frequency. The entire transmitter occupies 2.14 mm2 chip area and dissipates about 733 mW.

The electromagnetic coupling of helical modes, even those having different toroidal mode numbers, modifies the distribution of toroidal angular momentum in tokamak discharges. This can have deleterious effects on other transport channels as well as on magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stability and disruptivity. At low levels of externally injected momentum, the coupling of core-localized modes initiates a chain of events, whereby flattening of the core rotation profile inside successive rational surfaces leads to the onset of a large m/n = 2/1 tearing mode and locked-mode disruption. With increased torque from neutral beam injection, neoclassical tearing modes in the core may phase-lock to each other without locking to external fields or structures that are stationary in the laboratory frame. The dynamic processes observed in these cases are in general agreement with theory, and detailed diagnosis allows for momentum transport analysis to be performed, revealing a significant torque density that peaks near the 2...

The characterization of a broadband fluctuation that is typical for the type-II ELM regime at ASDEX Upgrade has been improved using the 2D capabilities of ECE-imaging. During the transition from the type-I to type-II ELMy phase, it has been found that electron temperature fluctuations form a broadband peak in the 19–65 kHz range. In the type-II phase, this broadband fluctuation reaches a maximum relative amplitude of almost 20% just inside the top of the pedestal. Simultaneously, the electron temperature profile is completely flattened at this location. The 2D distribution of the amplitude of this broadband fluctuation is such that, when averaged over time, a minimum occurs around the mid-plane. From the measurements of the nearby magnetic pickup coils, a similar broadband fluctuation seems visible in the same frequency range. However, this is peaked at a slightly lower frequency and does not show a similar minimum. From the analysis of the fluctuations on small timescales, the poloidal and toroidal mode numbers are estimated to be m ∼ 100 and n ∼ 21. Furthermore, activity reminiscent of beat waves has been observed, which might partially account for the fluctuation's broadband nature and the seeming velocity variation of single fluctuation passages. Overall, similarities between the characteristics of this broadband fluctuation and various precursors to type-I ELMs suggest that this fluctuation can play an important role in regulating the ELM cycle.

A program of electron cyclotron heating (ECH) with 4 MW at 140 GHz has been launched for developing scenarios of stable high performance through control of the pressure and current density profiles...

Major developments on the Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak (MAST) have enabled important advances in support of ITER and the physics basis of a spherical tokamak (ST) based component test facility (CTF), as well as providing new insight into underlying tokamak physics. For example, L–H transition studies benefit from high spatial and temporal resolution measurements of pedestal profile evolution (temperature, density and radial electric field) and in support of pedestal stability studies the edge current density profile has been inferred from motional Stark effect measurements. The influence of the q-profile and E × B flow shear on transport has been studied in MAST and equilibrium flow shear has been included in gyro-kinetic codes, improving comparisons with the experimental data. H-modes exhibit a weaker q and stronger collisionality dependence of heat diffusivity than implied by IPB98(y,2) scaling, which may have important implications for the design of an ST-based CTF. ELM mitigation, an important issue for ITER, has been demonstrated by applying resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) using both internal and external coils, but full stabilization of type-I ELMs has not been observed. Modelling shows the importance of including the plasma response to the RMP fields. MAST plasmas with q > 1 and weak central magnetic shear regularly exhibit a long-lived saturated ideal internal mode. Measured plasma braking in the presence of this mode compares well with neo-classical toroidal viscosity theory. In support of basic physics understanding, high resolution Thomson scattering measurements are providing new insight into sawtooth crash dynamics and neo-classical tearing mode critical island widths. Retarding field analyser measurements show elevated ion temperatures in the scrape-off layer of L-mode plasmas and, in the presence of type-I ELMs, ions with energy greater than 500 eV are detected 20 cm outside the separatrix. Disruption mitigation by massive gas injection has reduced divertor heat loads by up to 70%.

Imaging diagnostics, such as Electron Cyclotron Emission Imaging (ECEI) and Microwave Imaging Reflectometry (MIR), exhibit unique characteristics that make them particularly well suited to the validation of theoretical models for plasma instabilities and turbulent fluctuations. A 2-D picture of plasma phenomena is provided unambiguously, from localized, time-resolved measurements. After more than a decade of development and successful demonstrations on RTP [1,2] and TEXTOR [3, 4, 5, 6], ECEI has come into maturity as an electron temperature diagnostic technique, and systems at ASDEX-UG [7] and DIII-D [8] are making regular contributions to plasma physics. The next generation ECEI diagnostic is currently being installed on KSTAR [9, 10]. MIR is a radar reflectometric density fluctuation diagnostic, and hence the perfect complement to ECEI when realized to simultaneously image the same plasma volume. Experiments with MIR at TEXTOR have guided a recent surge in analysis and laboratory experiments aimed at resolving remaining issues [11, 12]. Both techniques are discussed in this tutorial with brief examples of data which illustrate the capabilities of these techniques and motivate future development for application on ITER and burning plasma experiments to come. (c) 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

A wideband (0 to 26.5 GHz) transition from conductor backed coplanar waveguide (CBCPW) to microstrip line has been developed. Field and impedance transformation have been used in the design; also, via holes were placed on the side ground planes of the CBCPW to suppress the parallel plate resonant mode thereby reducing radiation loss. A back-to-back transition board has been fabricated and tested. The test result shows good agreement with simulation. Under test, the back-to-back design insertion loss is less than 2 dB and the return loss is less than 15 dB from 0 to 26.5 GHz.

An 8-channel, high-k poloidal far-infrared (FIR) scattering system is under development for the National Spherical Torus eXperiment Upgrade (NSTX-U). The 693 GHz poloidal scattering system replaces a 5-channel, 280 GHz high-k toroidal scattering system to study high-k electron density fluctuations on NSTX-U. The FIR probe beam launched from Bay G is aimed toward Bay L, where large aperture optics collect radiation at 8 simultaneous scattering angles ranging from 2° to 15°. The reduced wavelength in the poloidal system results in less refraction, and coupled with a new poloidal scattering geometry, extends measurement of poloidal wavenumbers from the previous limit of 7 cm-1 up to >40 cm-1. Steerable launch optics coupled with receiver optics that can be remotely translated in 5 axes allow the scattering volume to be placed from r/a = 0.1 out to the pedestal region (r/a ∼ 0.99) and allow for both upward and downward scattering to cover different regions of the 2D fluctuation spectrum.

A 384 channels (24 vertical × 16 radial) Electron Cyclotron Emission Imaging (ECEI) system has been installed on Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). With the aid of advanced front optics, high spaital resolution around 1.1cm and flexible vertical coverage 30 ~ 70 cm have been realized. The well-designed optics also provides a long Rayleigh length up to 70 cm even with an object length larger than 2.6 m. The electronic system has a wide immediate frequency (IF) bandwidth 2 ~ 16.5 GHz, which enables a continuous radial coverage up to 25 cm. Benefited from advanced optics design and the wide IF bandwidth, the ECEI system with high spatial resolution can provide a large and continuous view field, especially in the radial direction, which is enough for the observation of the whole q = 1 surface. The comprehensive details of the ECEI system will be presented in this paper, along with some experimental results.

We discuss the recent history and latest developments of the electron cyclotron emission imaging diagnostic technique, wherein electron temperature is measured in magnetically confined plasmas with two-dimensional spatial resolution. The key enabling technologies for this technique are the large-aperture optical systems and the linear detector arrays sensitive to millimeter-wavelength radiation. We present the status and recent progress on existing instruments as well as new systems under development for future experiments. We also discuss data analysis techniques relevant to plasma imaging diagnostics and present recent temperature fluctuation results from the tokamak experiment for technology oriented research (TEXTOR). (C) 2010 Optical Society of America

The fluctuation of the electron temperature has been measured by using the electron cyclotron emission imaging in the Hefei Tokamak-7 (HT-7) plasma. The electron temperature fluctuation with a broadband spectrum shows that it propagates in the electron diamagnetic drift direction, and the mean poloidal wave-number θ is calculated to be about 1.58 cm−1, or θρs ≈ 0.34. It indicates that the fluctuation should come from the electron drift wave turbulence. The linear global scaling of the electron temperature fluctuation with the gradient of electron temperature is consistent with the mixing length scale qualitatively. Evolution of spectrum of the fluctuation during the sawtooth oscillation phases is investigated, and the fluctuation is found to increase with the gradient of electron temperature increasing during most phases of the sawtooth oscillation. The results indicate that the electron temperature gradient is probably the driver of the fluctuation enhancement. The steady heat flux driven by electron temperature fluctuation is estimated and compared with the results from power balance estimation.

MEMS varactors are one of the important passive MEMS devices. Their applica- tions include use in VCOs, tunable impedance matching networks, tunable fllters, phase shifters, and true time delay lines. The shunt capacitive structure has been employed in most of the conventional MEMS varactor designs because of its simplicity. However, the capacitance ratio of this conventional shunt capacitive MEMS varactor is limited to 1.5 because of the MEMS Pull- In efiect, which happens when the de∞ection between the MEMS top and bottom metal plates increase beyond 1/3 of the airgap between the two metal plates. At that time, the top metal plate will quickly snap down. This efiect is the major limitation in MEMS varactor designs and can cause nonlinearity and mechanically instability. In order to eliminate this Pull-In efiect, the author employed the so-called MEMS extended tuning range structure. This structure utilizes a variable height top metal beam with separate actuation parts. The airgap between the center part of the top beam and the bottom plate has been designed to be less than 1/3 of the airgap between the top beam and the bottom actuation pads. When DC bias is applied to the actuation parts, the entire top beam will move down together. Consequently, before the Pull-In efiect happens at the actuation parts, the center part has already traveled through its entire tuning range, which means that the capacitive ratio of this kind of MEMS varactor can go to inflnity. A fabrication process employing a GaAs substrate has been designed based on surface micro- machining technology. The maximum capacitance ratio of the designed MEMS extended tuning range varactor is 5.39 with a Cmax value of 167fF. Based on this MEMS varactor design, a Ka-band MEMS varactor based distributed true time delay line has been designed. This dis- tributed true time delay line includes a high impedance CPW transmission line with 70› un- loaded impedance at 28GHz and eight MEMS extended tuning range varactors based on the varactor design periodically loaded on the CPW line. The testing results show that a 56 - phase delay variation has been achieved at 28GHz. The measured insertion loss at 28GHz is i1:07dB at the up-state and i2:36dB at the down-state. The measured return losses, S11 and S22, are both below i15dB at 28GHz and below i10dB over the entire tested frequency range of 5GHz to 40GHz.

The NSTX operates at low aspect ratio (R/a ~ 1.3) and high beta (up to 40%), allowing tests of global confinement and local transport properties that have been established from higher aspect ratio devices. The NSTX plasmas are heated by up to 7 MW of deuterium neutral beams with preferential electron heating as expected for ITER. Confinement scaling studies indicate a strong BT dependence, with a current dependence that is weaker than that observed at higher aspect ratio. Dimensionless scaling experiments indicate a strong increase in confinement with decreasing collisionality and a weak degradation with beta. The increase in confinement with BT is due to reduced transport in the electron channel, while the improvement with plasma current is due to reduced transport in the ion channel related to the decrease in the neoclassical transport level. Improved electron confinement has been observed in plasmas with strong reversed magnetic shear, showing the existence of an electron internal transport barrier (eITB). The development of the eITB may be associated with a reduction in the growth of microtearing modes in the plasma core. Perturbative studies show that while L-mode plasmas with reversed magnetic shear and an eITB exhibit slow changes in across the profile after the pellet injection, H-mode plasmas with a monotonic q-profile and no eITB show no change in this parameter after pellet injection, indicating the existence of a critical gradient that may be related to the q-profile. Both linear and non-linear simulations indicate the potential importance of electron temperature gradient (ETG) modes at the lowest BT. Localized measurements of high-k fluctuations exhibit a sharp decrease in signal amplitude levels across the L–H transition, associated with a decrease in both ion and electron transport, and a decrease in calculated linear microinstability growth rates across a wide k-range, from the ion temperature gradient/TEM regime up to the ETG regime.

In this letter, we present a Ka-band 8-element E-plane beam steering/shaping phased antenna array (PAA) using antipodal elliptically tapered slot antenna (AETSA). The power feeding network, phase shifter and antenna element were fabricated on a single low cost PCB substrate to avoid the extra loss caused by connection of different circuit pieces and for easier integration and easier fabrication. The system achieved wide scanning angle, which is from −21° to +24° and the 3 dB beamwidth is widened by 10°, the latter being the requirement for plasma imaging application.

An investigation of the receiving properties of both 1D 13-element and 2D 8 × 4-element dual dipole antenna arrays on an elliptical MACOR lens from Q- to V-band is reported. Theoretical and measurement results agree well. The intended application is for millimeter wave plasma radar reflectometric imaging, although the results have broader applicability (Munsat et al., Rev Sci Instrum 74 (2003) 1426–1432). © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 1798–1801, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22620

Both capacitive and inductive frequency selective surface (FSS) filters have been applied in millimeter wave imaging plasma diagnostic systems to protect the imaging arrays from stray ECRH power as well as ensure working bandwidth control. Several FSS filters with improved performance have been designed and tested.

This paper presents a V-band double-sided, printed bow tie antenna which exhibits 49% bandwidth (46∼76 GHz). The antenna is fed by a microstrip transmission line for easy impedance matching. The simple structure and the small antenna are suitable for low cost fabrication, easy circuit integration, and phased antenna array multi-frequency applications.

In this work, we present the design and demonstration of a novel MEMS-based true-time delay (TTD) unit for microwave imaging reflectometry (MIR) diagnostics of thermonuclear fusion plasmas. The TTD unit is designed using a coplanar waveguide loaded with extended tuning range cantilever-type varactors. The capacitance value of the varactors are tapered at the input and output ports, allowing for better impedance matching in the highly loaded case. More than 360° and 600° phaseshift was demonstrated at 30GHz and 50 GHz, respectively with a figure of merit better than 60°/dB over the entire frequency range. As a TTD unit, the device can provide near constant delay of 0–33 ps adjustable in an analog fashion. To the authors' knowledge, this is the best TTD unit demonstrated to date in terms of maximum adjustable delay range and FoM in Q-band.

This paper presents a V-band power amplifier in a bulk 65 nm CMOS technology with the peak gain 14.5 dB and 3-dB bandwidth of 28.8 GHz (50.8 GHz to 79.6 GHz). The PA has demonstrated 15.1 dBm Psat and 18.9 % peak PAE. The PA features three stage transformer coupled differential architecture with integrated input and output baluns. The entire PA core occupies 0.31 mm2 chip area and dissipates about 150 mW.

The National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) is currently being upgraded to operate at twice the toroidal field and plasma current (up to 1 T and 2 MA), with a second, more tangentially aimed neutral beam (NB) for current and rotation control, allowing for pulse lengths up to 5 s. Recent NSTX physics analyses have addressed topics that will allow NSTX-Upgrade to achieve the research goals critical to a Fusion Nuclear Science Facility. These include producing stable, 100% non-inductive operation in high-performance plasmas, assessing plasma–material interface (PMI) solutions to handle the high heat loads expected in the next-step devices and exploring the unique spherical torus (ST) parameter regimes to advance predictive capability. Non-inductive operation and current profile control in NSTX-U will be facilitated by co-axial helicity injection (CHI) as well as radio frequency (RF) and NB heating. CHI studies using NIMROD indicate that the reconnection process is consistent with the 2D Sweet–Parker theory. Full-wave AORSA simulations show that RF power losses in the scrape-off layer (SOL) increase significantly for both NSTX and NSTX-U when the launched waves propagate in the SOL. Toroidal Alfven eigenmode avalanches and higher frequency Alfven eigenmodes can affect NB-driven current through energy loss and redistribution of fast ions. The inclusion of rotation and kinetic resonances, which depend on collisionality, is necessary for predicting experimental stability thresholds of fast growing ideal wall and resistive wall modes. Neutral beams and neoclassical toroidal viscosity generated from applied 3D fields can be used as actuators to produce rotation profiles optimized for global stability. DEGAS-2 has been used to study the dependence of gas penetration on SOL temperatures and densities for the MGI system being implemented on the Upgrade for disruption mitigation. PMI studies have focused on the effect of ELMs and 3D fields on plasma detachment and heat flux handling. Simulations indicate that snowflake and impurity seeded radiative divertors are candidates for heat flux mitigation in NSTX-U. Studies of lithium evaporation on graphite surfaces indicate that lithium increases oxygen surface concentrations on graphite, and deuterium–oxygen affinity, which increases deuterium pumping and reduces recycling. In situ and test-stand experiments of lithiated graphite and molybdenum indicate temperature-enhanced sputtering, although that test-stand studies also show the potential for heat flux reduction through lithium vapour shielding. Non-linear gyro kinetic simulations have indicated that ion transport can be enhanced by a shear-flow instability, and that non-local effects are necessary to explain the observed rapid changes in plasma turbulence. Predictive simulations have shown agreement between a microtearing-based reduced transport model and the measured electron temperatures in a microtearing unstable regime. Two Alfven eigenmode-driven fast ion transport models have been developed and successfully benchmarked against NSTX data. Upgrade construction is moving on schedule with initial physics research operation of NSTX-U planned for mid-2015.

The major objective of the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) is to understand basic toroidal confinement physics at low aspect ratio and high βT in order to advance the spherical torus (ST) concept. In order to do this, NSTX utilizes up to 7.5 MW of neutral beam injection, up to 6 MW of high harmonic fast waves (HHFWs), and it operates with plasma currents up to 1.5 MA and elongations of up to 2.6 at a toroidal field up to 0.45 T. New facility, and diagnostic and modelling capabilities developed over the past two years have enabled the NSTX research team to make significant progress towards establishing this physics basis for future ST devices. Improvements in plasma control have led to more routine operation at high elongation and high βT (up to ~40%) lasting for many energy confinement times. βT can be limited by either internal or external modes. The installation of an active error field (EF) correction coil pair has expanded the operating regime at low density and has allowed for initial resonant EF amplification experiments. The determination of the confinement and transport properties of NSTX plasmas has benefitted greatly from the implementation of higher spatial resolution kinetic diagnostics. The parametric variation of confinement is similar to that at conventional aspect ratio but with values enhanced relative to those determined from conventional aspect ratio scalings and with a BT dependence. The transport is highly dependent on details of both the flow and magnetic shear. Core turbulence was measured for the first time in an ST through correlation reflectometry. Non-inductive start-up has been explored using PF-only and transient co-axial helicity injection techniques, resulting in up to 140 kA of toroidal current generated by the latter technique. Calculated bootstrap and beam-driven currents have sustained up to 60% of the flat-top plasma current in NBI discharges. Studies of HHFW absorption have indicated parametric decay of the wave and associated edge thermal ion heating. Energetic particle modes, most notably toroidal Alfven eigenmodes and fishbone-like modes result in fast particle losses, and these instabilities may affect fast ion confinement on devices such as ITER. Finally, a variety of techniques has been developed for fuelling and power and particle control.

An X-mode swept frequency modulation (FM) reflectometry system has been designed to measure the electron density profiles of the “initial” KSTAR plasma. Fast swept HTO oscillators are employed to avoid density fluctuation effects, and frequency quadruplers are utilized to expand the HTO frequency range of 8–18 GHz to completely cover the X-mode cutoff frequency range of 33–66 GHz. The system can also be utilized to measure the edge profiles of the “Day One” KSTAR plasma by either switching from X- to O-mode reflectometry or by employing higher frequency millimeter-wave components and retaining the X-mode reflectometry configuration. To facilitate engineering design and optimization, a 3D drawing tool is utilized to effectively deal with any technical problems that may happen under actual KSTAR conditions. Details of the KSTAR FM reflectometry system are described together with important design issues.

A tangential far infrared interferometer/polarimeter system has been upgraded for the measurement of two-dimensional electron density and toroidal magnetic field profiles on the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX). The system employs a three-wavelength configuration that simultaneously produces interferometric phase shift and Faraday rotation polarimetric data from a single detector for each channel. Three CH/sub 3/OH lasers (/spl lambda/=119 /spl mu/m) including Stark-tuned laser cavities are optically pumped by a CO/sub 2/ laser tuned to 9.7 /spl mu/m. For high time-resolution measurements, the modulation frequency in the heterodyne interferometer is operated at /spl sim/ 7 MHz via the Stark-tuned laser, serving as the local oscillator in this system. Unwanted phase changes introduced by mechanical vibrations originating from various sources were eliminated by extensive work including a specially designed vibration-free stand for the retroreflector. The system is designed to have a full remote control capacity using the LABVIEW program via fiber links and real time signal processing circuits with a tracking receiver technique. A high IF frequency and a low noise fringe counting system enabled the system to measure wide-band density fluctuations such as microturbulence and magnetohydrodynamics. In this paper, a comparison study of the measured electron density with Thomson scattering data and para/diamagnetism effects measured via polarimetry signal and compared with the calculated value using the EFIT equilibrium code are presented. A recent upgrade plan together with the technical details of the system development will also be described.

Experimental results are presented on the first W-band gyrotron Traveling-Wave Tube (gyro-TWT) developed to exploit the 94 GHz atmospheric window for long-range, high-resolution radar applications. The gyro-TWT is designed to operate in the higher order TE01 mode and is driven by a 100 kV, 5 A electron beam with a pitch angle of v⊥/vz=1 and velocity spread of Δvz/vz=5%. Large-signal simulations predict 140 kW output power at 92 GHz with 28% efficiency, 50 dB saturated gain, and 5% bandwidth. The stability of the amplifier against spurious oscillations has been checked with linear codes. To suppress the potential gyro-BWO interactions involving the TE02, TE11, and TE21 modes, the interaction circuit with a cutoff frequency of 91 GHz has been loaded with loss so that the single-path, cold-circuit attenuation is 90 dB at 93 GHz. A coaxial input coupler with 3% bandwidth is employed with a predicted and measured coupling of 1 dB and 2 dB, respectively. The operating voltage is limited to below 75 kV because of oscillations encountered at higher voltages in this initial embodiment. Preliminary test at Vb=60 kV and Ib=3.7 A yielded 59 kW saturated output power at 92.2 GHz with 42 dB gain, 26.6% efficiency, and a 3 dB bandwidth of 1.2 GHz (1.3%).