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The Collective Thomson Scattering (CTS) diagnostic system will be used at ITER to provide spatial and temporal measurements of fast ion velocity distributions. The diagnostic is based on the CTS principle, where a microwave beam scatters off electrons in the plasma. The scattered radiation is then collected and measured, providing information about the fast ions. The system components are either considered in-vessel or ex-vessel depending on their location in the port plug. In this work, thermo-structural analyses were performed on four in-vessel components using the finite-element method (FEM) and the commercial software ANSYS Mechanical v18.0. The analyses indicate that active cooling will be required for most of the analysed components. The thermal stresses will be used to perform the structural assessment of these components based on the RCC-MR code.

For the measurement of the dynamics of fusion-born alpha particles $E_\alpha \leq 3.5$ MeV in ITER using collective Thomson scattering (CTS), safe transmission of a gyrotron beam at mm-wavelength (1 MW, 60 GHz) passing the electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) in the in-vessel tokamak `port plug' vacuum is a prerequisite. Depending on neutral gas pressure and composition, ECR-assisted gas breakdown may occur at the location of the resonance, which must be mitigated for diagnostic performance and safety reasons. The concept of a split electrically biased waveguide (SBWG) has been previously demonstrated in [C.P. Moeller, U.S. Patent 4,687,616 (1987)]. The waveguide is longitudinally split and a kV bias voltage applied between the two halves. Electrons are rapidly removed from the central region of high radio frequency electric field strength, mitigating breakdown. As a full scale experimental investigation of gas and electromagnetic field conditions inside the ITER equatorial port plugs is currently unattainable, a corresponding Monte Carlo simulation study is presented. Validity of the Monte Carlo electron model is demonstrated with a prediction of ECR breakdown and the mitigation pressure limits for the above quoted reference case with $^1$H$_2$ (and pollutant high $Z$ elements). For the proposed ITER CTS design with a 88.9 mm inner diameter SBWG, ECR breakdown is predicted to occur down to a pure $^1$H$_2$ pressure of 0.3 Pa, while mitigation is shown to be effective at least up to 10 Pa using a bias voltage of 1 kV. The analysis is complemented by results for relevant electric/magnetic field arrangements and limitations of the SBWG mitigation concept are addressed.

We present a novel method for efficient production of prototypes of microwave components by fused depositing modeling, also known as 3D plastic printing, and vapor deposition coating of a 1 μm copper layer. We demonstrate that the properties of the components follow the predicted performance for low power microwave propagation. The production method offers new opportunities for cheap and efficient production of mock-ups and prototypes of advanced-geometry components for tests with low-power microwaves.

The Collective Thomson Scattering (CTS) diagnostic measures the scattering spectrum of incident radiation off collective fluctuations in plasmas. In Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) the diagnostic uses a 140 GHz heating gyrotron as a source of the probing radiation. At this frequency, the CTS spectra are heavily affected by the electron cyclotron emission, and the microwave beam propagation is restricted at typical W7-X plasma parameters. The diagnostic was successfully commissioned in the last experimental campaign and demonstrated ion temperature measurements. However, the signal-to-noise ratio was too low for measuring other quantities such as the fast-ion velocity distribution function or the fuel ion ratio. Currently, the W7-X CTS diagnostic is undergoing an upgrade to a frequency of 175 GHz. This will increase the sensitivity of the diagnostic, since the noise due to electron cyclotron emission will be reduced, and it will relax the constraints on microwave beam propagation in W7-X. Here we present the salient features of the upgraded CTS system and discuss its prospects for both thermal-ion and fast-ion measurements.

ITER is an experimental tokamak nuclear fusion reactor with the goal of achieving afusion energy gain factor of 10. Nuclear fusion presents an extreme environment for materials during operations while requiring continuous uninterrupted operation. The Reliability Block Diagram (RBD) is a graphic methodology for system reliability modelling which is constructed from the reliability-wise relations between different subsystems/components and their respective reliability and maintenance data. In this paper, we construct andanalyse the RBD for the Collective Thomson Scattering (CTS) front-end both in terms of fulfilling its functions and its effects in the ITER tokamak operations. Our RDB analysis results were then used to propose mitigation actions which include design changes and operational procedures to deal with the identified failure modes. Our initial results indicate that the system's mean availability at the end of its lifecycle of 20 years is no greater than 82.55% which was due to low Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) of a critical system component – theSplit Biased Waveguide (SBWG) – aswell as several thermally loaded components. After mitigation actions, which aimed at controlling the system's exposure to heat loads, the MTBFs increased and the resulting mean availability achieved values over 97%, in conformity with design specifications. Furthermore, considering the CTS failure modes with impact on ITER operations, the expected value for the mean availability is of 99.995%. Therefore, we concluded that these failure modes did not require mitigation actions. In this article, we cover the second half of the RAMI analysis of the CTS diagnostic, the RBD analysis.

ITER is a tokamak nuclear fusion reactor intended to demonstrate the feasibility of nuclear fusion as a carbon-free energy source. In order to control potential technical risks, ITER subsystems are assessed through Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Inspectability (RAMI) analysis, which includes Failure Modes Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA). This paper deals with the FMECA of the front-end components of the Collective Thomson Scattering (CTS) diagnostic, which involves a top-down functional breakdown of the system, identification of critical components and potential failure modes, their effects and consequences for the system. Furthermore, the FMECA methodology allows for the analysis of possible mitigation actions, which may reduce failure mode risk levels. The FMECA was performed in two stages, one concerning the failure modes of the CTS itself, and one concerning the failure modes, which may interrupt ITER operations. Results indicate that there are no failure modes that pose a significant risk to ITER operations. However, mitigation actions were required in order to reduce the risk levels of failure modes, which may compromise CTS diagnostics availability. This article covers the first half of the RAMI analysis of the CTS diagnostic, the FMECA.

This paper describes an initial RAMI analysis for the ITER Low Field Side Collective Thomson Scattering system (LFS CTS) based on its preliminary architecture at system design level. The benefits and challenges involved in this analysis since an early phase of the design are discussed together with the methodology pursued. The Functional Analysis, developed both at system and sub-system level, are the major inputs for the RAMI analysis. A systematic approach has been used, and significant design assumptions have been made due to the lack of knowledge and definition inherent to preliminary design stages. This study includes the Failure Mode, Effects and Criticality Analysis and the Reliability Block Diagram of the system. The results obtained for the system Availability and Reliability are presented and discussed, and criticality charts are developed to highlight the risk levels of the failure modes, regarding to their likelihood and effects on the Availability of the ITER machine. Mitigation actions are proposed to reduce these risk levels in case of impact on the ITER operation.

The Collective Thomson Scattering (CTS) diagnostic will be a primary diagnostic for measuring the dynamics of the confined fusion born alpha particles in ITER and will be the only diagnostic for alphas below 1.7 MeV [1]. The probe beam of the CTS diagnostic comes from a 60 GHz 1 MW gyrotron operated in a ~100 Hz modulation sequence. In the plasma, the probing beam will be scattered off fluctuations primarily due to the dynamics of the ions. Seven fixed receiver mirrors will pick up scattered radiation (the CTS signal) from seven measurement volumes along the probe beam covering the cross section of the plasma. The diagnostic is planned to provide a temporal resolution of ~100 ms and a spatial resolution of ~a/4 in the core and ~a/20 near the plasma edge where a = 2.0 m is the nominal minor radius of ITER. The front-end quasi-optics will be installed in an equatorial port plug (EPP#12). A particular challenge will be to pass the probing beam through the fundamental electron cyclotron resonance, which is located in the port plug (R=10.3 m) for the nominal magnetic field Bt = 5.3 T. Hence, particular mitigation actions against arcing have to be applied. The status of the design and specific challenges will be discussed.

NORTH is a small-sized tokamak located at the Technical University of Denmark. It can be operated both as a spherical tokamak and a simple magnetized torus (SMT). Here we show first experimental results. We discuss the setup of the device, including the layout of the vacuum vessel, the magnetic field coils, the power supply systems, the heating sources, diagnostics, and the control system. We present measurements in discharges that have been heated by electron cyclotron resonance heating at the fundamental resonance. The waves have been injected both from the low-field side and the high-field side, and rich fluctuation spectra in Langmuir probe and Rogowski coil signals are presented during the different plasma phases. Finally, we discuss research plans and further installations to be made on NORTH.

The Collective Thomson Scattering (CTS) system will be the ITER diagnostic obtaining the plasma fast alpha-particle velocity distribution and will be implemented in drawer #3 of the Equatorial Port Plug #12 of the reactor. In this work, a neutronics analysis is presented for the in-vessel front-end parts of the CTS system, including neutron and gamma-ray fluxes and nuclear heat loads for the main components of the system calculated with the Monte Carlo radiation transport code MCNP6. In previous analyses the shielding materials were modelled as a homogeneous mixture, a crude approximation which did not consider the small gaps between the different components and between the CTS system and the shielding structure. In this work, a detailed model of the modular Diagnostics Shield Module (DSM) was developed, including all the shielding trays and all the individual boron carbide bricks. The results obtained with this model are compared with the ones obtained using a homogeneous mixture, to assess the effect of this approximation on the estimation of the neutron fluxes in the port interspace. The results show that the total neutron flux reaching the closure plate is estimated to be 2–3 times higher when the shielding is accurately modelled. This shows that the often-used homogeneous mixture approach underestimates the neutron fluxes during operation – a fact that could have great importance in the global shutdown dose rate estimates. On the other hand, the shielding implementation does not affect the heat loads in the front-end components of the system. Simulations to assess the Shutdown Dose Rates are performed using the D1S-UNED code. The results suggest that the entire port plug where the current CTS design is included will exceed the dose rate limit of 100 μSv/h in the port interspace. The contribution from the CTS system alone, however, is not sufficient to exceed the threshold.

The Collective Thomson Scattering (CTS) will be the ITER diagnostic responsible for measuring the alpha-particle velocity distribution. Using mirrors, a powerful microwave beam is directed into the plasma via an opening in the plasma-facing wall. The microwaves will scatter off fluctuations in the plasma, and the scattered signal is recorded after transmission through a series of mirrors and waveguides. Several components of the CTS system will be directly exposed to neutron radiation from the plasma which can change the properties of the components and reduce their lifetime. In this paper, a neutronics analysis is presented for the CTS system. A study on the influence of different materials on the nuclear heat loads in the launcher mirror is also presented, along with the design of a simple cooling system. All the studies were conducted using the Monte Carlo program MCNP6. The outputs, in particular the nuclear heat loads, will be used to perform the thermal analysis of the system.

Bayesian integrated data analysis combines measurements from different diagnostics to jointly measure plasma parameters of interest such as temperatures, densities, and drift velocities. Integrated data analysis of fast-ion measurements has long been hampered by the complexity of the strongly non-Maxwellian fast-ion distribution functions. This has recently been overcome by velocity-space tomography. In this method two-dimensional images of the velocity distribution functions consisting of a few hundreds or thousands of pixels are reconstructed using the available fast-ion measurements. Here we present an overview and current status of this emerging technique at the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak and the JET toamak based on fast-ion D-alpha spectroscopy, collective Thomson scattering, gamma-ray and neutron emission spectrometry, and neutral particle analyzers. We discuss Tikhonov regularization within the Bayesian framework. The implementation for different types of diagnostics as well as the uncertainties are discussed, and we highlight the importance of integrated data analysis of all available detectors.

The Collective Thomson Scattering (CTS) diagnostic on FTU tokamak was renewed for investigations on the excitation of Parametric Decay Instabilities (PDI) by Electron Cyclotron (EC) beams in presence of magnetic islands and their effects on the EC absorption. Experiments were performed launching a gyroton probe beam (140 GHz, 400 kW) and receiving the CTS beam in symmetric and asymmetric configurations with respect to the equatorial plane, in different conditions of plasma density and magnetic field (with or without the EC resonance in the plasma), and with magnetic islands generated by Neon injection. The acquisition with a fast digitizer allowed observing spectral features with very high time and frequency resolution. In the shots performed at 7.2 T, with the fundamental EC resonance out of the plasma region, a sequence of faint lines emitted with a fast temporal evolution have been observed in a range 0.5-1.1 GHz from the gyrotron frequency while at 4.7 T, with the resonance on the high field side of the plasma column, asynchronous "bursts" of continuous emissions were observed at a microsecond time scale. In 2015 and 2016 experiments were performed at 4.7 T and 3.6 T, in this last case with the plasma between the first and the second EC harmonics both lying outside the plasma volume. Different types of spectral features with a fast evolution were observed. Their correlation with magnetic probes and other fast signals from the plasma has been investigated, to characterize the observations and exclude parasitic effects, as well as breakdown phenomena in front of the antennas. The variation in the stray radiation distribution in the vessel has been studied with the aid of a diffusive model, to characterize variations on the probe beam absorption associated to the observed phenomena. The latest experiments, with a diagnostic improved both in frequency band (up to ±4.2 GHz from the probe) and with the addition of a second radiometer, are allowing a clearer interpretation of the emissions.

Here we review recent experimental developments within the field of collective Thomson scattering with a focus on the progress made on the devices TEXTOR and ASDEX Upgrade. We discuss recently discovered possibilities and limitations of the diagnostic technique. Diagnostic applications with respect to ion measurements are demonstrated. Examples include measurements of the ion temperature, energetic ion distribution function, and the ion composition.

In this paper we present the results of the R&D work that has been performed on avoiding electron cyclotron (EC) gas breakdown inside the launcher transmission line (TL) of the ITER collective Thomson scattering (CTS) diagnostic, due to encountering the fundamental EC resonance, which is located inside the port plug vacuum for the baseline ITER magnetic field scenario. If an EC breakdown occurs, this can lead to strong local absorption of the CTS gyrotron beam, as well as arcing inside the ITER vacuum vessel, which must be avoided. Due to the hostile, restrictive, and nuclear environment in ITER, it is not possible to implement the standard method for avoiding EC breakdown - a controlled atmosphere at the EC resonance. Instead, the CTS diagnostic will include a longitudinally-split electrically-biased corrugated waveguide (SBWG) in the launcher transmission line. The SBWG works by applying a transverse DC bias voltage across the two electrically-isolated waveguide halves, causing free electrons to diffuse out of the EC resonant region before they can cause an electron-impact ionisation-avalanche, and thus an EC breakdown. Due to insufficient experimental facilities, the functionality of the SBWG is validated through Monte Carlo electron modelling.

Scattered millimeter waves entering from the collective Thomson scattering diagnostic at ASDEX Upgrade fusion device are generally elliptically polarized. In order to convert the millimeter waves to linearly polarized waves (required for the detector), birefringent window assemblies (sapphire) have been developed to replace grooved metal mirrors. This allows a significantly more compact receiver design which is less susceptible to misalignment. The setup has been tested and implemented at ASDEX Upgrade.

Microwave diagnostics will play an increasingly important role in burning plasma fusion energy experiments like ITER and beyond. The Collective Thomson Scattering (CTS) diagnostic to be installed at ITER is an example of such a diagnostic with great potential in present and future experiments. The ITER CTS diagnostic will inject a 1 MW 60 GHz gyrotron beam into the ITER plasma and observe the scattering off fluctuations in the plasma - to monitor the dynamics of the fast ions generated in the fusion reactions.

We propose a diagnostic capable of measuring 2D fast-ion velocity distribution functions f2D v in the MeV-range in magnetized fusion plasmas. Today velocity-space tomography based on fast-ion D α spectroscopy is regularly used to measure f2D v for ion energies below 100 keV. Unfortunately, the signal-to-noise ratio becomes fairly low for MeV-range ions. Ions at any energy can be detected well by collective Thomson scattering of mm-wave radiation from a high-power gyrotron. We demonstrate how collective Thomson scattering can be used to measure f2D v in the MeV-range in reactor relevant plasmas such as in the tokamaks ITER or DEMO.

We demonstrate that collective Thomson scattering of millimeter wave electron cyclotron resonance heating radiation can be used for measurements of the main-ion temperature in the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak.

Author(s): Salewski, M; Geiger, B; Jacobsen, AS; Hansen, PC; Heidbrink, WW; Korsholm, SB; Leipold, F; Madsen, J; Moseev, D; Nielsen, SK; Nocente, M; Odstrcil, T; Rasmussen, J; Stagner, L; Stejner, M; Weiland, M | Abstract: Velocity-space tomography of the fast-ion distribution function in a fusion plasma is usually a photon-starved tomography method due to limited optical access and signal-to-noise ratio of fast-ion Dα (FIDA) spectroscopy as well as the strive for high-resolution images. In high-definition tomography, prior information makes up for this lack of data. We restrict the target velocity space through the measured absence of FIDA light, impose phase-space densities to be non-negative, and encode the known geometry of neutral beam injection (NBI) sources. We further use a numerical simulation as prior information to reconstruct where in velocity space the measurements and the simulation disagree. This alternative approach is demonstrated for four-view as well as for two-view FIDA measurements. The high-definition tomography tools allow us to study fast ions in sawtoothing plasmas and the formation of NBI peaks at full, half and one-third energy by time-resolved tomographic movies.

Strong scattering of high-power millimeter waves at 140 GHz has been shown to take place in heating and current-drive experiments at TEXTOR when a tearing mode is present in the plasma. The scattering signal is at present supposed to be generated by the parametric decay instability. Here we describe the heterodyne detection system used to characterize the newly discovered signal measured at TEXTOR, and we present spectral shapes in which the signal can appear under different conditions. The radiation is collected by the receiver through a quasi-optical transmission line that is independent of the electron cyclotron resonance heating transmission line, and so the scattering geometry is variable. The signal is detected with 42 frequency channels ranging from 136 to 142 GHz. We demonstrate that the large signal does not originate from gyrotron spurious radiation. The measured signal agrees well with independent backscattering radiometer data.

High-resolution γ-ray spectroscopy (GRS) measurements resolve spectral shapes of Doppler-broadened γ-rays. We calculate weight functions describing velocity-space sensitivities of any two-step reaction GRS measurements in magnetized plasmas using the resonant nuclear reaction 9Be(α, nγ)12C as an example. The energy-dependent cross sections of this reaction suggest that GRS is sensitive to alpha particles above about 1.7 MeV and highly sensitive to alpha particles at the resonance energies of the reaction. Here we demonstrate that high-resolution two-step reaction GRS measurements are not only selective in energy but also in pitch angle. They can be highly sensitive in particular pitch angle ranges and completely insensitive in others. Moreover, GRS weight functions allow rapid calculation of γ-ray energy spectra from fast-ion distribution functions, additionally revealing how many photons any given alpha-particle velocity-space region contributes to the measurements in each γ-ray energy bin.

Collective Thomson scattering (CTS) can provide measurements of the confined fast-ion distribution function resolved in space, time and 1D velocity space. On ASDEX Upgrade, the measured spectra include an additional signal which previously has hampered data interpretation. A new set-up using two independent heterodyne receiver systems enables subtraction of the additional part from the total spectrum, revealing the resulting CTS spectrum. Here we present CTS measurements from the plasma centre obtained in L-mode and H-mode plasmas with and without neutral beam injection (NBI). For the first time, the measured spectra agree quantitatively with the synthetic spectra in periods with and without NBI heating. For the discharges investigated, the central velocity distribution of neutral beam ions can be described by classical slowing down. These results will have a major impact on ITER physics exploration, since CTS is presently the only diagnostic to measure the confined alpha particles produced by the fusion reactions.

Anomalous emissions were found over the last few years in spectra of Collective Thomson Scattering (CTS) diagnostics in tokamak devices such as TEXTOR, ASDEX and FTU, in addition to real CTS signals. The signal frequency, down-shifted with respect to the probing one, suggested a possible origin in Parametric Decay Instability (PDI) processes correlated with the presence of magnetic islands and occurring for pumping wave power levels well below the threshold predicted by conventional models. A threshold below or close to the Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ECRH) power levels could limit, under certain circumstances, the use of the ECRH in fusion devices. An accurate characterization of the conditions for the occurrence of this phenomenon and of its consequences is thus of primary importance. Exploiting the front-steering configuration available with the real-time launcher, the implementation of a new CTS setup now allows studying these anomalous emission phenomena in FTU under conditions of density and wave injection geometry that are more similar to those envisaged for CTS in ITER. The upgrades of the diagnostic are presented as well as a few preliminary spectra detected with the new system during the very first operations in 2014. The present work has been carried out under an EUROfusion Enabling Research project. A shorter version of this contribution is due to be published in PoS at: 1st EPS conference on Plasma Diagnostics © 2015 Istituto di Fisica del Plasma - CNR.

The physics feasibility study [H. Bindslev et al., ITER Report Contract No. EFDA 01.654, 2003, www.risoe.dk/euratom/CTS/ITER] concludes that the frequency option below the electron cyclotron resonance was the only system capable of meeting the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) measurement requirements for the fusion alphas, with present or near term technology. This article presents the design of the collective Thomson scattering diagnostic for ITER at the 60 GHz range. The system is capable of measuring the fast ion distribution parallel and perpendicular to the magnetic field at different radial locations simultaneously. The design is robust technologically with no moveable components near the plasma. The article includes the upgrade requirements to provide temporally and spatially resolved measurements of the fuel ion ratio.

Collective Thomson scattering (CTS) measurements provide information about the composition and velocity distribution of confined ion populations in fusion plasmas. The bulk ion part of the CTS spectrum is dominated by scattering off fluctuations driven by the motion of thermalized ion populations. It thus contains information about the ion temperature, rotation velocity, and plasma composition. To resolve the bulk ion region and access this information, we installed a fast acquisition system capable of sampling rates up to 12.5 GS/s in the CTS system at ASDEX Upgrade. CTS spectra with frequency resolution in the range of 1 MHz are then obtained through direct digitization and Fourier analysis of the CTS signal. We here describe the design, calibration, and operation of the fast receiver system and give examples of measured bulk ion CTS spectra showing the effects of changing ion temperature, rotation velocity, and plasma composition.

Radiation from magnetized plasmas is in general elliptically polarized. In order to convert the elliptical polarization to linear polarization, mirrors with grooved surfaces are currently employed in our collective Thomson scattering diagnostic at ASDEX Upgrade. If these mirrors can be substituted by birefringent windows, the microwave receivers can be designed to be more compact at lower cost. Sapphire windows (a-cut) as well as grooved high density polyethylene windows can serve this purpose. The sapphire window can be designed such that the calculated transmission of the wave energy is better than 99%, and that of the high density polyethylene can be better than 97%.

Fast-ion Dα (FIDA) and collective Thomson scattering (CTS) diagnostics provide indirect measurements of fastion velocity distribution functions in magnetically confined plasmas. Here we present the first prescription for velocity-space tomographic inversion of CTS and FIDA measurements that can use CTS and FIDA measurements together and that takes uncertainties in such measurements into account. Our prescription is general and could be applied to other diagnostics. We demonstrate tomographic reconstructions of an ASDEX Upgrade beam ion velocity distribution function. First, we compute synthetic measurements from two CTS views and two FIDA views using a TRANSP/NUBEAM simulation, and then we compute joint tomographic inversions in velocity-space from these. The overall shape of the 2D velocity distribution function and the location of the maxima at full and half beam injection energy are well reproduced in velocity-space tomographic inversions, if the noise level in the measurements is below 10%. Our results suggest that 2D fast-ion velocity distribution functions can be directly inferred from fast-ion measurements and their uncertainties, even if the measurements are taken with different diagnostic methods.

Here we report on a study of the feasibility of measuring the fast ion phase space distribution in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) by collective Thomson scattering (CTS). The study covers the full range of potential probe frequencies from gyrotron based millimeter waves to the infrared of the CO2 laser. It is assessed whether the systems can meet the ITER measurement requirements and which technological developments may be required. The relative merits of the systems are compared. The study reveals that a CTS system based on a 60 GHz probe has the highest diagnostic potential, and is the only system expected to be able to meet all the ITER fast ion measurement requirements with existing or near term technology. With modest additions this system may also provide measurements of the fuel ion ratio.

Summary form only given. In fusion plasmas, the dominant heating source will be fusion generated energetic ions slowing down in the plasma. The same ions can also drive waves and instabilities in the plasma. Their distribution in velocity and in space has major impact on plasma dynamics, and plasma dynamics in turn affects the energetic ion distributions. The dynamics of energetic ions is thus important to measure in order to understand fusion plasmas, and important to monitor as part of input to plasma control. The collective Thomson scattering of millimeter waves has proven to be a valuable means of diagnosing energetic ion distributions in fusion plasmas1,2. A beam of mm-waves with a diameter of 5–10 cm and a power of 150–600 kW is sent through the plasma, and radiation scattered from this probe beam by the microscopic fluctuations in the plasma is detected. These microscopic fluctuations are in part induced by the ion motion and the fluctuations and hence the scattered radiation is thus sensitive to the ion distribution. This permits the fast ion distribution to be inferred from the detected scattered radiation. Dynamics of the fast ions is measured, and phenomena related to plasma instabilities observed.

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.

We compute tomographies of 2D fast-ion velocity distribution functions from synthetic collective Thomson scattering (CTS) and fast-ion D α (FIDA) 1D measurements using a new reconstruction prescription. Contradicting conventional wisdom we demonstrate that one single 1D CTS or FIDA view suffices to compute accurate tomographies of arbitrary 2D functions under idealized conditions. Under simulated experimental conditions, single-view tomographies do not resemble the original fast-ion velocity distribution functions but nevertheless show their coarsest features. For CTS or FIDA systems with many simultaneous views on the same measurement volume, the resemblance improves with the number of available views, even if the resolution in each view is varied inversely proportional to the number of views, so that the total number of measurements in all views is the same. With a realistic four-view system, tomographies of a beam ion velocity distribution function at ASDEX Upgrade reproduce the general shape of the function and the location of the maxima at full and half injection energy of the beam ions. By applying our method to real many-view CTS or FIDA measurements, one could determine tomographies of 2D fast-ion velocity distribution functions experimentally.

We show that collective Thomson scattering (CTS) holds the potential to become a new diagnostic principle for measurements of the fuel ion ratio, n T/n D, in ITER. Fuel ion ratio measurements will be important for plasma control and machine protection in ITER. Measurements of ion cyclotron structures in CTS spectra have been suggested as the basis for a new fuel ion ratio diagnostic which would be well suited for reactor environments and capable of providing spatially resolved measurements in the plasma core. Such measurements were demonstrated in recent experiments in the TEXTOR tokamak. Here we conduct a sensitivity study to investigate the potential measurement accuracy of a CTS fuel ion ratio diagnostic on ITER. The study identifies regions of parameter space in which CTS can be expected to provide useful information on plasma composition, and we find that a CTS fuel ion ratio diagnostic could meet the ITER measurement requirements for a standard ELMy H-mode discharge.

Localized measurements of the fast ion velocity distribution function and the plasma composition measurements are of significant interest for the fusion community. Collective Thomson scattering (CTS) diagnostics allow such measurements with spatial and temporal resolution. Localized measurements require a good alignment of the optical path in the transmission line. Monitoring the alignment during the experiment greatly benefits the confidence in the CTS measurements. An in situ technique for the assessment of the elevation angle alignment of the receiver is developed. Using the CTS diagnostic on TEXTOR without a source of probing radiation in discharges with sawtooth oscillations, an elevation angle misalignment of 0.9◦ was found with an accuracy of 0.25◦. © 2012 American Institute of Physics

We demonstrate the use of collective Thomson scattering (CTS) for spatially localized measurements of the isotopic composition of magnetically confined fusion plasmas. The experiments were conducted in the TEXTOR tokamak by scattering millimeter-wave probe radiation off plasma fluctuations with wave vector components nearly perpendicular to the magnetic field. Under such conditions the sensitivity of the CTS spectrum to plasma composition is enhanced by the spectral signatures of the ion cyclotron motion and of weakly damped ion Bernstein waves. Recent experiments on TEXTOR demonstrated the ability to resolve these signatures in the CTS spectrum as well as their sensitivity to the ion species mix in the plasma. This paper shows that the plasma composition can be inferred from the measurements through forward modeling of the CTS spectrum. We demonstrate that spectra measured in plasmas consisting of hydrogen, deuterium and (3)He can be accurately reproduced by theory and yield inferred plasma compositions consistent with expectations. The potential to use CTS for measurements of plasma composition is of significant interest since CTS is well suited for reactor environments and since there is at present no established method to measure the fuel ion density ratio in the core of a burning fusion plasma.

We have developed a collective Thomson scattering diagnostic system in the LHD. The CTS spectrum spread is observed in the frequency region corresponding to the bulk and fast ions during NB injection. The NB originated fast ions are evaluated by the MORH code for understanding the measured CTS spectra. We found that tangentially injected particles affect the CTS spectrum in the fast ion region from the simulated 1D velocity distribution for fast ions. This is consistent with the measured CTS spectrum in the frequency shift at less than -0.7 GHz and more than 0.7 GHz. As the next step, the CTS spectrum would be evaluated using the simulated 1D velocity distribution.

The fast-ion collective Thomson scattering (CTS) receiver at ASDEX Upgrade can detect spectral power densities of a few eV in the millimeter-wave range against the electron cyclotron emission (ECE) 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 heterodynes the frequencies of scattered radiation (100–110 GHz) to intermediate frequencies (IF) (4.5–14.5 GHz). The IF signal is divided into 50 IF channels tightly spaced in frequency space which are terminated by square-law Schottky detector diodes. The performance of the entire receiver is determined by the main receiver components operating at mm-wave frequencies (notch-, bandpass- and lowpass filters, a voltage-controlled variable attenuator, and an isolator), a mixer, and the IF components (amplifiers, band-pass filters, and detector diodes). We discuss here the design of the entire receiver, focussing on its performance as a unit. The receiver has been disassembled, and the performance of its individual components has been characterized. Based on these individual component measurements we predict the spectral response of the receiver assembled as a unit. The measured spectral response of the assembled receiver is in reasonable agreement with this prediction.

The collective Thomson scattering (CTS) diagnostic proposed for ITER is designed to measure projected 1D fast-ion velocity distribution functions at several spatial locations simultaneously. The frequency shift of scattered radiation and the scattering geometry place fast ions that caused the collective scattering in well-defined regions in velocity space, here dubbed interrogation regions. Since the CTS instrument measures entire spectra of scattered radiation, many different interrogation regions are probed simultaneously. We here give analytic expressions for weight functions describing the interrogation regions, and we show typical interrogation regions of the proposed ITER CTS system. The backscattering system with receivers on the low-field side is sensitive to fast ions with pitch |p| = |v/v| 0.6–0.8. Additionally, we use weight functions to reconstruct 2D fast-ion distribution functions, given two projected 1D velocity distribution functions from simulated simultaneous measurements with the back- and forward scattering systems.

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.

For certain scattering geometries collective Thomson scattering (CTS) measurements are sensitive to the composition of magnetically confined fusion plasmas. CTS therefore holds the potential to become a new diagnostic for measurements of the fuel ion ratio?i.e. the tritium to deuterium density ratio. Measurements of the fuel ion ratio will be important for plasma control and machine protection in future experiments with burning fusion plasmas. Here we examine the theoretical basis for fuel ion ratio measurements by CTS. We show that the sensitivity to plasma composition is enhanced by the signatures of ion cyclotron motion and ion Bernstein waves which appear for scattering geometries with resolved wave vectors near perpendicular to the magnetic field. We investigate the origin and properties of these features in CTS spectra and give estimates of their relative importance for fuel ion ratio measurements.

A millimeter-wave notch filter with 105-GHz center frequency, >20-GHz passband coverage, and 1-GHz rejection bandwidth has been constructed. The design is based on a fundamental rectangular waveguide with cylindrical cavities coupled by narrow iris gaps, i.e., small elongated holes of negligible thickness. We use numerical simulations to study the sensitivity of the notch filter performance to changes in geometry and in material conductivity within a bandwidth of ±10 GHz. The constructed filter is tested successfully using a vector network analyzer monitoring a total bandwidth of 20 GHz. The typical insertion loss in the passband is

In this Letter we report measurements of collective Thomson scattering (CTS) spectra with clear signatures of ion Bernstein waves and ion cyclotron motion in tokamak plasmas. The measured spectra are in accordance with theoretical predictions and show clear sensitivity to variation in the density ratio of the main ion species in the plasma. Measurements with this novel diagnostic demonstrate that CTS can be used as a fuel ion ratio diagnostic in burning fusion plasma devices.

To overcome the challenge of measuring the fuel ion ratio in the core (ρ

We discuss the development and first results of a receiver system for the collective Thomson scattering (CTS) diagnostic at TEXTOR with frequency resolution in the megahertz range or better. The improved frequency resolution expands the diagnostic range and utility of CTS measurements in general and is a prerequisite for measurements of ion Bernstein wave signatures in CTS spectra. The first results from the new acquisition system are shown to be consistent with theory and with simultaneous measurements by the standard receiver system. [doi:10.1063/1.3475540]

Fast ion physics will play an important role for the international thermonuclear experimental reactor (ITER), where confined alpha particles will affect and be affected by plasma dynamics and thereby have impacts on the overall confinement. A fast ion collective Thomson scattering (CTS) diagnostic using gyrotrons operated at 60 GHz will meet the requirements for spatially and temporally resolved measurements of the velocity distributions of confined fast alphas in ITER by evaluating the scattered radiation (CTS signal). While a receiver antenna on the low field side of the tokamak, resolving near perpendicular (to the magnetic field) velocity components, has been enabled, an additional antenna on the high field side (HFS) would enable measurements of near parallel (to the magnetic field) velocity components. A compact design solution for the proposed mirror system on the HFS is presented. The HFS CTS antenna is located behind the blankets and views the plasma through the gap between two blanket modules. The viewing gap has been modified to dimensions 30 × 500 mm2 to optimize the CTS signal. A 1:1 mock-up of the HFS mirror system was built. Measurements of the beam characteristics for millimeter-waves at 60 GHz used in the mock-up agree well with the modeling.