Analysis methods for fast impurity ion dynamics data

Abstract

A high-resolution spectrometer has been developed and used on the MST reversed-field pinch (RFP) to measure passively impurity ion temperatures and flow velocities with 10 μs temporal resolution. Such measurements of MHD-scale fluctuations are particularly relevant in the RFP because the flow velocity fluctuation-induced transport of current (the ‘‘MHD dynamo’’) may produce the magnetic field reversal characteristic of an RFP. This instrument will also be used to measure rapid changes in the equilibrium flow velocity, such as occur during locking and H-mode transition. The precision of measurements made to date is ≤0.6 km/s. We are developing accurate analysis techniques appropriate to the reduction of this fast ion dynamics data. Moment analysis and curve-fitting routines have been evaluated for noise sensitivity and robustness. Also presented is an analysis method which correctly separates the flux-surface average of the correlated fluctuations in u and B from the fluctuations due to rigid shifts of the plasma column.