Microwave imaging of magnetohydrodynamic instabilities in fusion plasma

Abstract

Microwave imaging diagnostics are extremely useful for observing magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities in magnetic fusion plasmas. Two imaging diagnostics will be available on the WEST tokamak. A method was developed to reconstruct electron density maps from electron density profiles measured by ultrafast reflectometry, a technique based on FM-CW radar principle. It relies on plasma rotation to perform 2D reconstruction. An Electron Cyclotron Emission Imaging (ECEI) diagnostic will image directly the temperature fluctuations. It will be equivalent to 24 stacked vertically radiometers, each probing a spot of few centimetres. These two complementary techniques will contribute to the validation of MHD models.