Electron temperature measurements during electron cyclotron heating on PDX using a ten channel grating polychromator

Abstract

During first harmonic electron cyclotron heating (ECH) on the Princeton Divertor Experiment (PDX) (R/sub 0/ = 137 cm, a = 40 cm), electron temperature was monitored using a grating polychromator which measured second harmonic electron cyclotron emission from the low field side of the tokamak. Interference from the high power heating pulse on the broadband detectors in the grating instrument was eliminated by using a waveguide filter in the transmission line which brought the emission signal to the grating instrument. Off-axis (approx. 4 cm) location of the resonance zone resulted in heating without sawtooth or m = 1 activity. However, heating with the resonance zone at the plasma center caused very large amplitude sawteeth accompanied by strong m = 1 activity: ..delta..T/T/sub MAX/ approx. = 0.41, sawtooth period approx. = 4 msec, m = 1 period approx. = 90 ..mu.. sec, (11 kHz). This is the first time such intense MHD activity driven by ECH has been observed. (For both cases there was no sawtooth activity in the ohmic phase of the discharge before ECH.) At very low densities there is a clear indication that a superthermal electron population is created during ECH.