Application of reflectometry power flow for magnetic field pitch angle measurements in tokamak plasmas (invited)

Abstract

Reflectometry has successfully demonstrated measurements of many important parameters in high temperature tokamak fusion plasmas. However, implementing such capabilities in a high-field, large plasma, such as ITER, will be a significant challenge. In ITER, the ratio of plasma size (meters) to the required reflectometry source wavelength (millimeters) is significantly larger than in existing fusion experiments. This suggests that the flow of the launched reflectometer millimeter-wave power can be realistically analyzed using three-dimensional ray tracing techniques. The analytical and numerical studies presented will highlight the fact that the group velocity (or power flow) of the launched microwaves is dependent on the direction of wave propagation relative to the internal magnetic field. It is shown that this dependence strongly modifies power flow near the cutoff layer in a manner that embeds the local magnetic field direction in the "footprint" of the power returned toward the launch antenna. It will be shown that this can potentially be utilized to locally determine the magnetic field pitch angle at the cutoff location. The resultant beam drift and distortion due to magnetic field and relativistic effects also have significant consequences on the design of reflectometry systems for large, high-field fusion experiments. These effects are discussed in the context of the upcoming ITER burning plasma experiment.