Low Threshold Parametric Decay Instabilities in ECRH experiments at toroidal devices

The experimental conditions leading to substantial reduction of backscattering decay instability threshold in ECRH experiments in toroidal devices are analyzed. It is shown that drastic decrease of threshold is provided by non monotonic behaviour of plasma density, which is often observed due to so-called density-pump-out effect or presence of magnetic islands, and by poloidal magnetic field inhomogeniety making possible localization of ion Bernstein decay waves. The corresponding ion Bernstein wave gain and the parametric decay instability pump power threshold is calculated. The possible experimental consequences of easy backscattering decay instability excitation are discussed.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, submitted to Nuclear Fusio

Implementation of correlative enhanced scattering diagnostics of small scale plasma turbulence at the FT-2 tokamak

In this paper the first results of implementation of CES diagnostics at the FT-2 tokamak possessing much more developed set of standard tokamak diagnostics are presented

Plasma rotation diagnostics at the FT-2 tokamak based on the upper hybrid resonance backscattering enhanced doppler effect

Observations of enhanced Doppler frequency shift effect of the highly localized microwave backscattering in the upper hybrid resonance are reported. The experiment is performed at FT-2 tokamak, where a steerable focusing antenna set, allowing off equatorial plane plasma extraordinary wave probing from high magnetic field side, was installed. A separate line less than 1.5 MHz wide and shifted by up to 2 MHz is routinely observed in the backscattering spectrum under condition of accessible upper hybrid resonance. The enhanced frequency shift is explained by the growth of poloidal wave number of the probing wave in the resonance. Development of a new scheme for local diagnostics of fluctuations poloidal rotation based on this effect is started.У статті описуються спостереження посиленого ефекту Доплера в спектрі сигналу розсіяного назад у верхньому гібридному резонансі зондувальної хвилі. Експеримент виконаний на токамаці ФТ-2, на якому недавно були встановлені рухливі антени, що дозволяють здійснювати зондування плазми електромагнітними хвилями в незвичайній поляризації з боку сильного магнітного поля. За умови доступного верхнього гібридного резонансу в спектрі розсіювання спостерігалася лінія шириною менш 1.5 МГц, зрушена до 2 МГц. Ефект пояснений ростом полоідального хвильового числа зондувальної хвилі в резонансі. Почато розвиток нової схеми локальної діагностики обертання плазмових флуктуацій, заснованої на цьому ефекті.В статье описываются наблюдения усиленного эффекта Доплера в спектре сигнала рассеянного назад в верхнем гибридном резонансе зондирующей волны. Эксперимент выполнен на токамаке ФТ-2, на котором недавно были установлены подвижные антенны, позволяющие осуществлять зондирование плазмы электромагнитными волнами в необыкновенной поляризации со стороны сильного магнитного поля. При условии доступного верхнего гибридного резонанса в спектре рассеяния наблюдалась линия шириной менее 1.5 МГц, сдвинутая до 2 МГц. Эффект объяснён ростом полоидального волнового числа зондирующей волны в резонансе. Начато развитие новой схемы локальной диагностики вращения плазменных флуктуаций, основанной на этом эффекте

Thomson scattering system on the TEXTOR tokamak using a multi-pass laser beam configuration

The main challenge for the Thomson scattering (TS) diagnostic on the TEXTOR tokamak is the detailed study of fast plasma events at a high spatial resolution and a high repetition rate of the measurements. The diagnostic uses intra-cavity probing of the plasma with a repetitively pulsed ruby laser and a fast CMOS camera as detectors. Since 2004, the TS system on TEXTOR has been gradually and systematically enhanced for the measurements of fast plasma events. For that it has recently been upgraded to obtain a multi-pass configuration. Two spherical mirrors have been installed that force the laser beam to probe the plasma a specified number of times before it is directed back into the laser medium. The diagnostics with the upgraded probing system have achieved the measurement accuracy of 3% for the electron temperature and 1.5% for the electron density at < 1 cm spatial resolution and 3 x 10(19) m(-3) plasma density and can measure at 5 kHz during an interval up to 8 ms. This makes it possible to detect, amongst others, fine structures of magnetic islands and variations of the edge pedestal in the ELMy limiter H-mode