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A 800 kW, 140 GHz gyrotron has been mounted on TEXTOR. Initial operation was limited by arcs in the transmission line, and by pulse length restrictions due to the expected limited power handling of the window and the launching mirror. Measurements of power absorption in the window and launching mirror, however, showed them to be capable of handling full power, 3 s pulses, while arcing could be prevented by absorption of stray radiation at strategic position in the transmission line. This resulted in the realisation of full power, 3 s pulses on the plasma. Further measures were taken to prevent gyrotron operation in wrong modes or under conditions of low absorption in the plasma. Future improvements, expected to allow further extension of the pulse length to 10 s include: a CVD diamond window to replace the current quartz torus vacuum window, and a fast and accurate launcher.

The 110 GHz and the new 140 GHz gyrotron systems for electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) and ECCD on TEXTOR are described and results of ECRH experiments with the 110 GHz system are reported. Central ECRH on Ohmic plasmas shows the presence of an internal electron transport barrier near q = 1. This is confirmed by modulated ECRH experiments. A central barrier is also indicated by ECRH in radiatively improved (RI) mode discharges and up to two barriers are seen with ECRH during the current ramp phase. ECRH control of sawteeth is reported for both Ohmic and RI mode target plasmas.

The TEC community operates the textor device and in doing so collects and stores data from a number of different front-end acquisition systems, processing codes and analysis systems. Due to the evolution of these systems in the past, different, distributed data storage technologies were used to record this data. In an attempt to reduce the number of interfaces client codes have to use when accessing data from these data stores, an “umbrella” concept was developed: a software-layer that covers (as an “umbrella”) as many as possible of these stores and provides a unified access mechanism to them. We explored the possibility of using the widely supported HTTP protocol for this purpose; this is the core protocol of the World-Wide-Web and it is capable of transporting almost any type of data. The concepts behind using this protocol were based on earlier work at JET. Access via this umbrella has been provided to the most important data stores around textor and access to others is being added regularly. Clients codes, libraries and programs have been developed for several user environments. The HTTP based concepts and the data-access via this system have been found to be highly portable. This paper gives an overview of the TEC Web-Umbrella system, it describes the basic concepts of this system and it presents some of the client-side codes and programs. The paper also reports on some first (tentative) user experiences with it.

The fast ion and α-particle diagnostic at JET is based on collective Thomson scattering of high power millimeter-wave radiation. The principal aim of the diagnostic will be the measurement of the spatially resolved velocity distribution of fast α particles when tritium is introduced in JET plasmas, although several other applications are foreseen. The diagnostic uses a 140 GHz, 500 kW, gyrotron as the source of probing radiation and a heterodyne detection system. The diagnostic came into operation during the last JET operational campaign. First measurements were made of the thermal and mildly suprathermal (induced by ion cyclotron resonance heating) ion feature. The results confirmed expectations, indicating that the diagnostic should give the predicted performance for observation of α-particle populations in the DT phase. The signal-to-noise ratio is limited by the noise on the background radiation (electron cyclotron emission), which has a minimum around 140 GHz only when JET is operated at B∼3.4 T. To further improve the S/N and to make the diagnostic suitable for operation at higher field, which is now being considered for some of the DT plasmas, a viewing dump will be installed before the DT phase.

Experimental investigations of sawteeth interaction with fast ions measured by collective Thomson scattering on TEXTOR are presented. Time-resolved measurements of localized 1D fast-ion distribution functions allow us to study fast-ion dynamics during several sawtooth cycles. Sawtooth oscillations interact strongly with the fast-ion population in a wide range of plasma parameters. Part of the ion phase space density oscillates out of phase with the sawtooth oscillation during hydrogen neutral beam injection (NBI). These oscillations most likely originate from fast hydrogen ions with energies close to the full injection energy. At lower energies passing fast ions in the plasma centre are strongly redistributed at the time of sawtooth collapse but no redistribution of trapped fast ions is observed. The redistribution of fast ions from deuterium NBI in the plasma centre is found to vary throughout velocity space. The reduction is most pronounced for passing ions. We find no evidence of inverted sawteeth outside the sawtooth inversion surface in the fast-ion distribution function.

A Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) based wide range millimeter wave diagnostics for spectral characterization of scattered millimeter waves in plasmas has been successfully brought into operation. The scattered millimeter waves are heterodyne down-converted and directly digitized using a fast analog-digital converter (ADC) and a compact Peripheral Component Interconnect (cPCI) computer. Frequency spectra are obtained by FFT in the time domain of the intermediate frequency signal. The scattered millimeter waves are generated during high power Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ECRH) experiments on the TEXTOR Tokamak and demonstrate the performance of the diagnostics and, in particular, the usability of direct digitizing and Fourier transformation of millimeter wave signals. Major benefit of the new diagnostics is a tunable time and frequency resolution due to post-detection, near-Real-Time processing of the acquired data. This diagnostics has a wider application in astrophysics, earth observation, plasma physics and molecular spectroscopy for the detection and analysis of millimeter wave radiation, providing high-resolution spectra at high temporal resolution and large dynamic range. Such a diagnostics also has the potential to detect Electron Cyclotron Emission (ECE) and to be used in Real-Time ECE feedback control systems. © 2009 IEEE.

Neoclassical tearing modes (NTMs) deteriorate high-pressure tokamak plasma confinement and can be suppressed by electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD). In order to obtain efficient suppression, the ECCD power needs to be deposited at the center of an NTM magnetic island. To enhance efficiency, this power also needs to be synchronized in phase with the rotation of the island. The problem is that of real-time detection and precise localization of the island(s) in order to provide the feedback signal required to control the ECCD power deposition area with an accuracy of 1 to 2 cm. Existing schemes based on mode location, equilibrium reconstruction, and plasma profile measurements are limited in positional and temporal accuracy and moreover will become very complex when applied to ITER. To overcome these limitations, it is proposed to provide the feedback signal from electron cyclotron emission (ECE) measurements taken along the identical line of sight as traced by the incident ECCD millimeter-wave beam but in reverse direction. Experiments on TEXTOR have demonstrated a proof of principle. These measurements motivate the further development and the implementation of such an ECCD-aligned ECE system for NTM control in larger fusion machines. Possible implementation of such a system on ASDEX-Upgrade, based on waveguides equipped with a fast directional switch, is presented in this paper. Possible further development for ITER is also discussed.

This paper presents an integrated installation that facilitates closed-loop control of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) events in a tokamak by means of electron cyclotron resonance heating and current drive. Model-based control of an elect ro-mechanical launcher, diagnosis and identification of mode features for real-time control, and control-oriented modeling of magnetic island dynamics are addressed, both in terms of hardware as well as conceptual design. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dichroic filters have been used to shield effectively the far infrared (FIR) detectors at the interferometer/polarimeter on TEXTOR. The filters consist of metal foils with regular holes, the hole diameter, the mutual spacing and the thickness of the foils are chosen to transmit radiation at the design frequency with transmission >90%. The attenuation at the low frequency end of the bandpass filter is about 30 dB per octave, the high frequency transmission is between 20% and 40%. The filters have been used to block the stray radiation from the megawatt microwave heating beam to the detectors of the FIR interferometer, operating with power on the detector in the milliwatt range. If required, the low frequency attenuation can be still enhanced, without compromising the transmission in the passband. The FIR interferometer used for plasma density and position control is no longer disturbed by electromagnetic waves used for plasma heating.

Fast ions created in the fusion processes will provide up to 70% of the heating in ITER. To optimize heating and current drive in magnetically confined plasmas insight into fast-ion dynamics is important. First measurements of such dynamics by collective Thomson scattering (CTS) were recently reported [Bindslev , Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 205005 2006]. Here we extend the discussion of these results which were obtained at the TEXTOR tokamak. The fast ions are generated by neutral-beam injection and ion-cyclotron resonance heating. The CTS system uses 100-150 kW of 110-GHz gyrotron probing radiation which scatters off the collective plasma fluctuations driven by the fast-ion motion. The technique measures the projected one-dimensional velocity distribution of confined fast ions in the scattering volume where the probe and receiver beams cross. By shifting the scattering volume a number of scattering locations and different resolved velocity components can be measured. The temporal resolution is 4 ms while the spatial resolution is similar to 10 cm depending on the scattering geometry. Fast-ion velocity distributions in a variety of scenarios are measured, including the evolution of the velocity distribution after turnoff of the ion heating. These results are in close agreement with numerical simulations.

An electron cyclotron emission (ECE) receiver inside the electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) transmission line has been brought into operation. The ECE is extracted by placing a quartz plate acting as a Fabry-Perot interferometer under an angle inside the electron cyclotron wave (ECW) beam. ECE measurements are obtained during high power ECRH operation. This demonstrates the successful operation of the diagnostic and, in particular, a sufficient suppression of the gyrotron component preventing it from interfering with ECE measurements. When integrated into a feedback system for the control of plasma instabilities this line-of-sight ECE diagnostic removes the need to localize the instabilities in absolute coordinates. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.2976665]

Summary form only given. A critical need exists for confined fast ion diagnostics in tokamak fusion experiments, particularly for fusion product alpha particles in ITER and future fusion burning experiments. To develop this diagnostic capability and in support of current fast ion plasma physics research, collective Thomson scattering (CTS) diagnostics have been implemented at TEXTOR and ASDEX Upgrade (AUG) tokamaks using available gyrotron infrastructure with the addition of sensitive scattered signal receiver systems. At TEXTOR a 180 kW, 110 GHz gyrotron and a 42 channel. 6 GHz bandwidth heterodyne receiver has achieved up to 100 CTS scattered spectra per plasma shot with 4 ms time and 10 cm spatial resolution. Large scattering angles (~160deg) with steerable optics enable observation of fast ion spatial and field orientation anisotropies. Studies of fast ion dynamics behavior with neutral beam injection (NBI) and ion cyclotron heating have commenced, resulting in unique observations of fast ions redistributions during sawteeth and slow down after NBI turn off. At AUG a 1 MW, 105 GHz mode of a two-frequency gyrotron with a 50 channel, 10 GHz bandwidth receiver is becoming operational for CTS diagnostics with resolutions similar to TEXTOR. Precise gyrotron frequency measurements, notch filter timing, transmission line alignments, and receiver field of view mappings inside the tokamak have been accomplished using novel beam profile instrumentation. AUG-CTS commissioning progress will be presented. Plasma measurements in AUG are expected to provide new insights into fast ion physics and to further validate gyrotron CTS as a fast ion diagnostic tool for ITER.

Here we present the first measurements by collective Thomson scattering of the evolution of fast-ion populations in a magnetically confined fusion plasma. 150 kW and 110 Ghz radiation from a gyrotron were scattered in the TEXTOR tokamak plasma with energetic ions generated by neutral beam injection and ion cyclotron resonance heating. The temporal behavior of the spatially resolved fast-ion velocity distribution is inferred from the received scattered radiation. The fast-ion dynamics at sawteeth and the slowdown after switch off of auxiliary heating is resolved in time. The latter is shown to be in close agreement with modeling results.

At the TEXTOR tokamak a 140 GHz, 800 kW, 10 s gyrotron is employed for studies on ECW heating and ECCD. A key program is the suppression of tearing modes, which is aided by the unique facility at TEXTOR to program magnetic structures during a discharge (DED). A scheme is under development which aims to detect the perturbations on the electron cyclotron emission caused by these instabilities via the same line of sight as is used by the ECRH beam, and to use this information for feedback control of the instability. A brief overview of TEXTOR and relevant island parameters is given as well as a description of the upgraded ECRH system. This is followed by a description of the design of the transmission line coupler and receiver for island detection which constitutes the main topic of the paper. The final section sketches the feedback controller that processes the receiver signals, and controls the moveable launcher and the gyrotron power.

Here we present the first measurements by collective Thomson scattering of the evolution of fast-ion populations in a magnetically confined fusion plasma. 150 kW and 110 Ghz radiation from a gyrotron were scattered in the TEXTOR tokamak plasma with energetic ions generated by neutral beam injection and ion cyclotron resonance heating. The temporal behavior of the spatially resolved fast-ion velocity distribution is inferred from the received scattered radiation. The fast-ion dynamics at sawteeth and the slowdown after switch off of auxiliary heating is resolved in time. The latter is shown to be in close agreement with modeling results.

Previous electron cyclotron wave experiments on TEXTOR were performed using a 110 GHz, 350 kW, 200 ms gyrotron. The installation is presently extended with a new gyrotron at 140 GHz, which produces more than 800 kW of RF power in a Gaussian beam for more than 3 s at 1% duty cycle. Auxiliary systems have been overhauled and upgraded. The installation can be conveniently switched between gyrotrons while the control system is kept extremely versatile allowing to switch between manual expert operation and fully automated operation from the TEXTOR control room. A scheme is being developed to allow control of the steerable launcher depending on real-time plasma parameters. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

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Here we present collective Thomson scattering measurements of 1D fast-ion velocity distribution functions in neutral beam heated TEXTOR plasmas with sawtooth oscillations. Up to 50% of the fast ions in the centre are redistributed as a consequence of a sawtooth crash. We resolve various directions to the magnetic field. The fast-ion distribution is found to be anisotropic as expected. For a resolved angle of 39¿ to the magnetic field we find a drop in the fast-ion distribution of 20–40%. For a resolved angle of 83¿ to the magnetic field the drop is no larger than 20%. (Some figures in this article are in colour only in the electronic version)

Since the efficiency of the tearing mode suppression by heating depends on the electron heat diffusivity it is important to know if the electron heat transport coefficients inside the island are reduced compared with the ambient plasma. With that aim, modulated ECRH has been employed for heat pulse propagation studies in and around magnetic islands at the TEXTOR tokamak. The combination of its special hardware tools of the Dynamic Ergodic Divertor to generate tearing modes, the ECRH system for producing heat pulses and the electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECE-Imaging) diagnostic for its analysis offered a direct view of the perturbed two-dimensional heat flow in around the magnetic island. Inside m/n = 2/1 and m/n = 3/1 islands with a flattened temperature profile, the electron heat transport is shown to be strongly reduced with respect to the surrounding plasma. Inside the islands a heat pulse diffusion coefficients χe ∼ 0.4 m2 s−1 was derived, while outside the island it is an order of magnitude larger χe > 3 m2 s−1. In contrast, power balance calculations of strongly heated islands show that the electron transport is similar to the surrounding plasma. These results suggest that the heat transport inside a magnetic island is also governed by a critical gradient-like behaviour, similar to the bulk plasma.

High resolution frequency measurements of the 110 GHz gyrotron at TEXTOR and the 105 GHz mode of the two-frequency gyrotron (Odissey-1) at ASDEX Upgrade (AUG) have been made in support of fast ion collective Thomson scattering diagnostics. Measurements were done by harmonic heterodyne methods using both fast Fourier transform spectroscopy with digital oscilloscopes and fast scanning spectrum analyzers. Accurate frequencies were obtained with a frequency counter. At TEXTOR, at 180 kW forward power the starting frequency was 109.970 +/- 0.005 GHz and chirped down as much as 27 MHz depending on the duty factor. At AUG, at 500 kW forward power the frequency started at 104.786 GHz and chirped down 104 MHz, with 90% of the chirp occurring in the first 100 ms. Plasma perturbation of the TEXTOR gyrotron was observed when both ion cyclotron resonance heating antennas and neutral beam injection were operating, producing modulation at 29 and 58 MHz in the gyrotron output. Each gyrotron was observed to have an instrumental measurement limited linewidth of 120 kHz full width at half maximum. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.