Electron Cyclotron Emission Imaging Research Articles

The electron cyclotron emission imaging system on EAST with continuous large observation area

A 384 channels (24 vertical × 16 radial) Electron Cyclotron Emission Imaging (ECEI) system has been installed on Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). With the aid of advanced front optics, high spaital resolution around 1.1cm and flexible vertical coverage 30 ∼ 70 cm have been realized. The well-designed optics also provides a long Rayleigh length up to 70 cm even with an object length larger than 2.6 m. The electronic system has a wide immediate frequency (IF) bandwidth 2 ∼ 16.5 GHz, which enables a continuous radial coverage up to 25 cm. Benefited from advanced optics design and the wide IF bandwidth, the ECEI system with high spatial resolution can provide a large and continuous view field, especially in the radial direction, which is enough for the observation of the whole q = 1 surface. The comprehensive details of the ECEI system will be presented in this paper, along with some experimental results.

Influence of m / n = 2/1 magnetic islands on perpendicular flows and turbulence in HL-2A Ohmic plasmas

The radial profiles of perpendicular flows in the presence of the magnetic island were firstly measured in the HL-2A tokamak by hopping the work frequency of the Doppler backward scattering reflectometer system along with a two-dimensional electron cyclotron emission imaging diagnostic identifying the island locations. It has been observed that across the O-point cut the perpendicular flow is quite small at the center of the island and strongly enhanced around the boundary of the island, resulting in a large increase of the flow shear in the outer half island, while across the X-point cut the flow is almost flat in the whole island region. Meanwhile it was found that the density fluctuations are generally weakened inside the island. The results indicate that both the perpendicular flow and the density fluctuation level are modulated by the naturally rotating tearing mode near the island boundary. The cross-correlation between the perpendicular flows and the oscillating electron temperature further reveals that the modulation of the perpendicular flow occurs mainly inside and in the vicinity of the island.

Non-linear MHD modelling of edge localized modes dynamics in KSTAR

The explanation of the existence of the rotating MHD modes in the pedestal region before Type I edge localized mode (ELM) crash and in the inter-ELM periods (ELM precursors) observed in KSTAR is provided for the first time in the present paper. The dynamics of ELMs, observed using electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) in KSTAR tokamak, is compared to the modelling results of the non-linear reduced resistive MHD code JOREK. The realistic KSTAR pulse parameters and geometry including X-point and scrape off layer (SOL) were used. The full ELM crash modelling was performed using JOREK code for single and multi-harmonic representation and in multi-cycles ELMy regimes including relevant flows. The most unstable toroidal modes numbers (n = 5–8), velocity (~5 km s−1 for n = 8 mode) and the direction of the mode rotation were reproduced in modelling. The two fluid diamagnetic effects and toroidal rotations included in the model were found to be the most important factors in explaining the experimentally observed rotation of the ballooning modes before the ELM crash and in the inter-ELM phase. In multi-harmonic multi-cycle simulations the spectrum of temperature fluctuations is similar to the experimental one in the inter-ELM phase, where several rotating modes with medium n numbers were detected in 5–30 kHz frequency range. The rotating modes can contain single or several harmonics which last from 0.2 ms to few ms in time, and can appear and disappear in the inter ELM period or persist until a new ELM crash.

Quasi-3D electron cyclotron emission imaging on J-TEXT

Electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) can provide measurements of 2D electron temperature fluctuation with high temporal and spatial resolution in magnetic fusion plasma devices. Two ECEI systems located in different toroidal ports with 67.5 degree separation have been implemented on J-TEXT to study the 3D structure of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities. Each system consists of 12 (vertical) × 16 (horizontal) = 192 channels and the image of the 2nd harmonic X-mode electron cyclotron emission can be captured continuously in the core plasma region. The field curvature adjustment lens concept is developed to control the imaging plane for receiving optics of the ECEI systems. Field curvature of the image can be controlled to match the emission layer. Consequently, a quasi-3D image of the MHD instability in the core of the plasma has been achieved.

An intelligent remote control system for ECEI on EAST

An intelligent remote control system based on a power distribution unit (PDU) and Arduino has been designed for the electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) system on Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). This intelligent system has three major functions: ECEI system reboot, measurement region adjustment and signal amplitude optimization. The observation region of ECEI can be modified for different physics proposals by remotely tuning the optical and electronics systems. Via the remote adjustment of the attenuation level, the ECEI intermediate frequency signal amplitude can be efficiently optimized. The remote control system provides a feasible and reliable solution for the improvement of signal quality and the efficiency of the ECEI diagnostic system, which is also valuable for other diagnostic systems.

An accurate automated technique for quasi-optics measurement of the microwave diagnostics for fusion plasma

A new integrated technique for fast and accurate measurement of the quasi-optics, especially for the microwave/millimeter wave diagnostic systems of fusion plasma, has been developed. Using the LabVIEW-based comprehensive scanning system, we can realize not only automatic but also fast and accurate measurement, which will help to eliminate the effects of temperature drift and standing wave/multi-reflection. With the Matlab-based asymmetric two-dimensional Gaussian fitting method, all the desired parameters of the microwave beam can be obtained. This technique can be used in the design and testing of microwave diagnostic systems such as reflectometers and the electron cyclotron emission imaging diagnostic systems of the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak.

Optimization of the optical system for electron cyclotron emission imaging diagnostics on the HL-2A tokamak

The optical system of the electron cyclotron emission imaging diagnostics on the HL-2A tokamak has been optimized in both the narrow zoom pattern and the wide zoom pattern. The two main features of the improved optical system are (1) larger coverage of the measurement region in the plasma and (2) a flatter imaging surface. The new optics has good focal characteristics over the whole plasma cross section. The curvature of the field of the image surface (ΔR between the core channel and the edge channel) is within 5.3 cm in the narrow zoom pattern and 6.7 cm in the wide zoom pattern after optimization, whereas the values with the present optics were 23 cm in the narrow zoom pattern and 15 cm in the wide zoom pattern. The optics will be fabricated, tested and installed on the HL-2A tokamak before the next experimental campaign.

Data acquisition and control system for the ECE imaging diagnostic on the EAST tokamak

A 384-channel electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) system is installed on the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST) and 7-gigabyte data is produced for each regular discharge of a 10-second pulse. The data acquisition and control (DAC) system for the EAST ECEI diagnostics covers the large data production and embeds the ability to report the data quality instantly after the discharge. The symmetric routing design of the timing signal distributions among the 384 channels provides a low-cost solution to the synchronization of a large number of channels. The application of the load-balance bond service largely reduces the configuration difficulty and the cost in the high-speed data transferring tasks. Benefiting from the various kinds of hardware units with dedicated functionalities, an automated and user interactive DAC work flow is achieved, including the pre-selections of the automation scheme and the observation region, 384-channel data acquisition and local caching, post-discharge imaging data quality evaluation, remote system status monitoring, and inter-discharge imaging system event handling. The system configuration in a specific physics experiment is further optimized through the associated operating software which is enhanced by the input of the tokamak operation status and the region of interest (ROI) from other diagnostics. The DAC system is based on a modularized design and scalable to the long-pulse discharges in the EAST tokamak.

Millimeter-wave imaging of magnetic fusion plasmas: technology innovations advancing physics understanding

Electron cyclotron emission (ECE) imaging is a passive radiometric technique that measures electron temperature fluctuations; and microwave imaging reflectometry (MIR) is an active radar imaging technique that measures electron density fluctuations. Microwave imaging diagnostic instruments employing these techniques have made important contributions to fusion science and have been adopted at major fusion facilities worldwide including DIII-D, EAST, ASDEX Upgrade, HL-2A, KSTAR, LHD, and J-TEXT. In this paper, we describe the development status of three major technological advancements: custom mm-wave integrated circuits (ICs), digital beamforming (DBF), and synthetic diagnostic modeling (SDM). These have the potential to greatly advance microwave fusion plasma imaging, enabling compact and low-noise transceiver systems with real-time, fast tracking ability to address critical fusion physics issues, including ELM suppression and disruptions in the ITER baseline scenario, naturally ELM-free states such as QH-mode, and energetic particle confinement (i.e. Alfvén eigenmode stability) in high-performance regimes that include steady-state and advanced tokamak scenarios. Furthermore, these systems are fully compatible with today’s most challenging non-inductive heating and current drive systems and capable of operating in harsh environments, making them the ideal approach for diagnosing long-pulse and steady-state tokamaks.

Design of a 75-140 GHz high-pass printed circuit board dichroic filter.

A new high-performing PCB (Printed Circuit Board) dichroic filter, which can be used for the KSTAR (Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research) electron cyclotron emission imaging system, is proposed. The current dichroic filter consists of a triangular lattice array of circular holes on the 6-mm thick metal plate, while circular hole spacing limitation caused relatively narrow passband (∼20 GHz). On the other hand, the proposed PCB dichroic filter utilizes the inexpensive commercial PCB fabrication process with a flexible adjustment of circular hole spacing. Therefore, the proposed PCB dichroic filter provides significantly wider passband (∼60 GHz with 0.84 dB insertion loss) with much reduced weight and expense. Also, it is shown that a steep skirt property can be obtained with the thick PCB filter substrate. The design process, fabrication, and measurement results of the new PCB dichroic filter are described.

Observation of the double e-fishbone instability in HL-2A ECRH/ECCD plasmas

Two m/n = 1/1 kink modes excited by energetic electrons (called double e-fishbone) have been observed near the q = 1 flux surfaces in the HL-2A discharges. The negative magnetic central shear configuration was achieved with localized electron cyclotron resonance heating and electron cyclotron current drive during plasma current ramp-up. The features of the modes have been first shown by advanced 2D electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) system. From ECEI, two m/n = 1/1 modes propagating in the opposite directions poloidally have been clearly observed. These modes can be found only in low density discharge, and their frequencies are close to the precessional frequency of the trapped energetic electrons. More interestingly, the thermal energy transfer between the two modes was revealed by this new diagnostic, which is found to be related to the nonlinear interaction of the two modes and local electron thermal transport.

Radiation transport modelling for the interpretation of oblique ECE measurements

The electron cyclotron emission (ECE) diagnostic provides routinely electron temperature (T e ) measurements. At ASDEX Upgrade an electron cyclotron forward model, solving the radiation transport equation for given T e and electron density profile, is used in the framework of integrated data analysis. With this method T e profiles can be obtained from ECE measurements even for plasmas with low optical depth. However, due to the assumption of straight lines of sight and an absorption coefficient in the quasi-perpendicular approximation this forward model is not suitable for the interpretation of measurements by ECE diagnostics with an oblique line of sight.Since radiation transport modelling is required for the interpretation of oblique ECE diagnostics we present in this paper an extended forward model that supports oblique lines of sight. To account for the refraction of the line of sight, ray tracing in the cold plasma approximation was added to the model. Furthermore, an absorption coefficient valid for arbitrary propagation was implemented. Using the revised model it is shown that for the oblique ECE Imaging diagnostic at ASDEX Upgrade there can be a significant difference between the cold resonance position and the point from which most of the observed radiation originates.

Summary of ECE Presentations at EC-19

At the EC-19 workshop there were ten presentations in the topic of diagnosing and heating plasmas with Electron Cyclotron Emission (ECE) and Electron Bernstein Wave (EBW). Innovations continue in designs of ECE systems while tried-and-true instruments still provide adequate data to explore new areas of research. Heterodyne radiometers and Michelson interferometers carry on as the bedrock of ECE electron temperature (T e ) measurements while ECE imaging systems continue expanding their capabilities. The design of the ITER-ECE diagnostic system is in its advanced stages; solutions are being found for challenges in the transmission lines and front-end calibration sources.

Compact ECEI system with in-vessel reflective optics for WEST.

An electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) diagnostic system for WEST (W Environment for Steady state Tokamak) is under development to study the MHD instabilities affected by tungsten impurities. The system will provide 2-D Te fluctuation images (width × height = ∼18 cm × ∼ 34 cm at low field side and ∼13 cm × ∼ 39 cm at high field side) from a poloidal cross section with high spatial (≤1.7 cm) and temporal (≤2 μs) resolutions. While the key concept and electronic structure are similar to that of prior ECEI systems on other tokamak devices such as KSTAR, DIII-D, or ASDEX-U, part of the imaging optics have to be placed inside the vacuum vessel in order to resolve issues on limited installation space and longer beam path to the detector position. The in-vessel optics consisting of two large curvature-radius mirrors are expected to withstand the extreme heating on long-pulse operation scenario (∼1000 s). The out-vessel optical housing is constructed as compact as possible to remove easily from the installation site in case of necessity. Commissioning of the system is scheduled on the second experimental WEST campaign end of 2017.

New compact and efficient local oscillator optic system for the KSTAR electron cyclotron emission imaging system.

Electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) diagnostic on Korean Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research utilizes quasi-optical heterodyne-detection method to measure 2D (vertical and radial) Te fluctuations from two toroidally separated poloidal cross section of the plasma. A cylindrical lens local oscillator (LO) optics with optical path length (OPL) 2-2.5 m has been used in the current ECEI system to couple the LO source to the 24 vertically aligned array of ECE detectors. For efficient and compact LO optics employing the Powell lens is proposed so that the OPL of the LO source is significantly reduced from ∼2.0 m to 0.4 m with new optics. The coupling efficiency of the LO source is expected to be improved especially at the edge channels. Results from the optical simulation together with the laboratory test of the prototype optics will be discussed in this paper.

Synthetic diagnostics platform for fusion plasmas (invited).

A Synthetic Diagnostics Platform (SDP) for fusion plasmas has been developed which provides state of the art synthetic reflectometry, beam emission spectroscopy, and Electron Cyclotron Emission (ECE) diagnostics. Interfaces to the plasma simulation codes GTC, XGC-1, GTS, and M3D-C1 are provided, enabling detailed validation of these codes. In this paper, we give an overview of SDP's capabilities, and introduce the synthetic diagnostic modules. A recently developed synthetic ECE Imaging module which self-consistently includes refraction, diffraction, emission, and absorption effects is discussed in detail. Its capabilities are demonstrated on two model plasmas. The importance of synthetic diagnostics in validation is shown by applying the SDP to M3D-C1 output and comparing it with measurements from an edge harmonic oscillation mode on DIII-D.

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.

Millimeter-wave imaging diagnostics systems on the EAST tokamak (invited).

Millimeter-wave imaging diagnostics, with large poloidal span and wide radial range, have been developed on the EAST tokamak for visualization of 2D electron temperature and density fluctuations. A 384 channel (24 poloidal × 16 radial) Electron Cyclotron Emission Imaging (ECEI) system in F-band (90-140 GHz) was installed on the EAST tokamak in 2012 to provide 2D electron temperature fluctuation images with high spatial and temporal resolution. A co-located Microwave Imaging Reflectometry (MIR) will be installed for imaging of density fluctuations by December 2016. This "4th generation" MIR system has eight independent frequency illumination beams in W-band (75-110 GHz) driven by fast tuning synthesizers and active multipliers. Both of these advanced millimeter-wave imaging diagnostic systems have applied the latest techniques. A novel design philosophy "general optics structure" has been employed for the design of the ECEI and MIR receiver optics with large aperture. The extended radial and poloidal coverage of ECEI on EAST is made possible by innovations in the design of front-end optics. The front-end optical structures of the two imaging diagnostics, ECEI and MIR, have been integrated into a compact system, including the ECEI receiver and MIR transmitter and receiver. Two imaging systems share the same mid-plane port for simultaneous, co-located 2D fluctuation measurements of electron density and temperature. An intelligent remote-control is utilized in the MIR electronics systems to maintain focusing at the desired radial region even with density variations by remotely tuning the probe frequencies in about 200 μs. A similar intelligent technique has also been applied on the ECEI IF system, with remote configuration of the attenuations for each channel.

Design of the 2D electron cyclotron emission imaging instrument for the J-TEXT tokamak.

A new 2D Electron Cyclotron Emission Imaging (ECEI) diagnostic is being developed for the J-TEXT tokamak. It will provide the 2D electron temperature information with high spatial, temporal, and temperature resolution. The new ECEI instrument is being designed to support fundamental physics investigations on J-TEXT including MHD, disruption prediction, and energy transport. The diagnostic contains two dual dipole antenna arrays corresponding to F band (90-140 GHz) and W band (75-110 GHz), respectively, and comprises a total of 256 channels. The system can observe the same magnetic surface at both the high field side and low field side simultaneously. An advanced optical system has been designed which permits the two arrays to focus on a wide continuous region or two radially separate regions with high imaging spatial resolution. It also incorporates excellent field curvature correction with field curvature adjustment lenses. An overview of the diagnostic and the technical progress including the new remote control technique are presented.

Low-noise heterodyne receiver for electron cyclotron emission imaging and microwave imaging reflectometry.

The critical component enabling electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) and microwave imaging reflectometry (MIR) to resolve 2D and 3D electron temperature and density perturbations is the heterodyne imaging array that collects and downconverts radiated emission and/or reflected signals (50-150 GHz) to an intermediate frequency (IF) band (e.g. 0.1-18 GHz) that can be transmitted by a shielded coaxial cable for further filtering and detection. New circuitry has been developed for this task, integrating gallium arsenide (GaAs) monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) mounted on a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) substrate. The improved topology significantly increases electromagnetic shielding from out-of-band interference, leads to 10× improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio, and dramatic cost savings through integration. The current design, optimized for reflectometry and edge radiometry on mid-sized tokamaks, has demonstrated >20 dB conversion gain in upper V-band (60-75 GHz). Implementation of the circuit in a multi-channel electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) array will improve the diagnosis of edge-localized modes and fluctuations of the high-confinement, or H-mode, pedestal.