Quasi-optical Transmission Line Research Articles

A TERAHERTZ PHASE FREQUENCY CHANGER WITH THE CRYSTAL QUARTZ PHASE SECTIONS

A phase frequency changer (PFC) for quasi-optical transmission line with phase sections made of crystal quartz and polarizers executed on the basis of small-period wire gratings has been considered. The PFC is intended for operation in terahertz (THz) frequency region. It has been examined at the frequency f o= 0.89THz. The influence of the differential phase shift deviation in the sections on the output signal spectrum and the influence of the sections mismatch on the reflection signal spectrum have been considered. In the frequency region ± 10% f o the levels of the spurious spectral components of output signal are less than −40 dB with regard to the level of the useful signal of the shifted frequency. The levels of all spectral components of the reflection signal are less than −60 dB with regard to the level of the useful component of the PFC output signal.

Current fast ion collective Thomson scattering diagnostics at TEXTOR and ASDEX Upgrade, and ITER plans (invited)

Fast ion physics will play an important role on ITER where confined alpha particles will affect plasma dynamics and overall confinement. Fast ion collective Thomson scattering (CTS) using gyrotrons has the potential to meet the need for measuring the spatially localized velocity distributions of confined fast ions in ITER. Currently, CTS experiments are performed at TEXTOR using a 150kW, 0.2s, 110GHz gyrotron and a receiver upgraded at the Risø National Laboratory. The gyrotron and receiver optics have also been upgraded for rapid scanning during a plasma shot. The receiver consists of a nine-mirror quasioptical transmission line including a universal polarizer and a 42-channel data acquisition system, which allows complete coverage of the double sideband scattered spectrum for localized (∼10cm) time resolved (4ms) measurements of the ion velocity distribution. At ASDEX Upgrade (AUG) a similar 50-channel CTS receiver has been installed. This CTS system will use the 105GHz frequency of a dual frequency gyrotron. The gyrotron is presently being commissioned. CTS campaigns are scheduled for the summer of 2006 with a probe power of up to 1MW for 10s. This report presents the alignment of the quasioptical transmission line, calibration, and gyrotron tuning of the TEXTOR and AUG CTS systems. We will also review the progress on the design of the proposed fast ion CTS diagnostic for ITER. It is envisaged that scattered radiation from two 60GHz probe beams launched from the low field side midplane port will be received by two arrays of receivers located on the low and high field sides of the plasma. This geometry will allow the ion velocity distribution near perpendicular and near parallel to the magnetic field to be measured in ten or more spatial locations covering the full plasma cross section. The temporal resolution can be significantly better than the required 100ms.

Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating on TEXTOR

TEXTOR is equipped with two gyrotrons at 110 and 140 GHz, respectively. Both share a single power supply and a confocal quasi-optical transmission line. They cannot be operated simultaneously. The 110-GHz gyrotron with limited power and pulse length (300 kW; 200 ms) has been used in a first series of experiments on electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) and electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) and for collective Thomson scattering (CTS) diagnostics of energetic ions. In the future the 110-GHz gyrotron will be operated exclusively for CTS diagnostics, while for ECRH and ECCD, the newly installed 140-GHz, high-power (800-kW), long-pulse (>3-s) gyrotron is now available. The highlights of first ECRH experiments with the 110-GHz gyrotron are reported. These include observations of internal transport barriers with ECRH on various target plasmas: in the current plateau phase of both ohmic and radiation improved mode (RI-mode) discharges. In addition, sawtooth control by localized ECRH is demonstrated. First results on CTS include the observation of the slowing down of energetic ions and of the redistribution of energetic ions in sawtooth crashes.

Second harmonic of gyrotron radiation: New potentialities of plasma diagnostics

It is shown that the relative intensity of the second harmonic of gyrotron radiation on the axis of a microwave beam after quasi-optical filtering in a four-mirror quasi-optical transmission line is about −50 dB of the total radiation intensity. The second-harmonic radiation is used in collective-scattering diagnostics of turbulent density fluctuations in the plasma column of the L-2M stellarator. At an electron temperature of 0.8–1.0 keV and average plasma density of 2.0–2.5×1013 cm−3 (a plasma energy of about 0.6 kJ), which was achieved after the boronization of the vacuum chamber, spatiotemporal structures in plasma density fluctuations were observed in the central region of the plasma column. The correlation time between the structures was found to be on the order of 1 ms. It is shown that the spectrum of the signal from the second-harmonic scattering extends to higher frequencies compared to that from the fundamental-harmonic scattering.

Control and RF-transmission in the ECW system on TEXTOR-94

A real-time and multitasking control system has been developed for the new ECW system on the TEXTOR tokamak. It allows the system to be remotely controlled by client/server application. A quasi-optical transmission line has been installed which uses confocal mirrors and can be used for different frequencies (>100 GHz). It is suitable for transmission of up to two RF beams from different sources to the plasma. The launcher is mounted in a main horizontal port and injects a focused beam with a spot size of 2 cm (at 110 GHz) near the plasma axis. The launcher is steerable independently in the toroidal and poloidal directions.

Design of the Upgraded TJ-II Quasi-optical Transmission Line

TJ-II plasma start-up and heating are made by electron cyclotron resonance waves at the second harmonic of the electron cyclotron frequency. Two quasi-optical transmission lines transmit the microwave power of the gyrotrons to the vacuum vessel. The first line launches the microwave power under fixed injection geometry, i.e. there is no possibility to change the launching angle and the wave polarization. The second line has a moveable mirror installed inside the TJ-II vessel. To get high absorption efficiency and a narrow energy deposition profile the internal mirror focuses the wave beam at plasma center. To get more flexibility in the experiments on heating and current drive the first transmission line needs to be upgraded. The design is presented in this paper. The new launching antenna includes an internal mirror to focus the beam and to change the injection angle. Both launchers are then symmetrical. A polarizer consisting of two corrugated mirrors is used to get any wave polarization. Two mirrors with an array of coupling holes and calorimetric measurements of the energy absorbed in the barrier window allow the estimation of the microwave power launched into the TJ-II.

An Optimum Sectional Waveguide Taper for Quasioptical Transmission Lines

The paper considers an optimum sectional waveguide taper (OSWT) which at a shortest length of the transition region provides nearly adiabatic propagation of the fundamental mode between circular, widely different in diameter quasioptical transmission lines of class “hollow dielectric waveguide” (HDW). Derived as a consequence of coaxial circular-horn sections, the OSWT offers all the advantages of a simple geometry and lends itself to simple fabrication techniques. The relationships among the critical geometrical parameters and the loss calculation formulae are presented. The comparison studies show that even at a few sections, the OSWT is almost as good in performance as the parabolic taper, but the OSWT is much better from a mechanical viewpoint. And compared to the ordinary linear taper, the OSWT allows essential cut in length and loss with the broadbandness kept. The HDW-based four-sectional OSWT has been fabricated and tested in a quite broad wave range 2,5-8 mm. The testing results lend a good support to the analytical formulae lying at the basis of the design software.

Quasioptical Transmission Lines for ECRH at TJ-II Stellarator

Two mirror lines have been used to transmit the microwave power from the powerful microwave generators to the TJ-II plasmas. Both lines have been tested at nominal power level and they are in operation now. This paper deals with the final design of the transmission lines and their testing. Before starting operation at high power level, measurements of the wave beam parameters at low power level were performed. Two horn antennas were designed to simulate the gyrotron output. The results are presented in this paper. A computer code based on Huygens diffraction theory was developed to simulate the propagation of the beam along the mirror lines. A comparison of the theoretical and the experimental results is also shown here.

A high-field/high-frequency heterodyne induction-mode electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometer operating at 360 GHz

We present design details of and first measurements with a novel continuous wave (cw) high-field/high-frequency electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometer operating at a microwave frequency of 360 GHz and a magnetic field of up to 14 T. The spectrometer design incorporates a heterodyne mixer detection scheme with a quasi-optical transmission line and a bimodal induction mode Fabry–Perot cavity. First cw experiments on polycrystalline 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl and bisdiphenylene-β-phenylallyl benzolate in polystyrene at room temperature and 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl in frozen solution at 190 K demonstrate the high Zeeman resolution achievable and allow an estimate of the present detection sensitivity of 4×109 spins/G at a detection bandwidth of 1 Hz.

Application of the complex beam parameter to the design of a quasioptical transmission line for a submillimetre wave gyrotron

The complex beam parameter can be used to facilitate the design of a quasi-optical transmission line which converts the output of a submillimetre wave gyrotron into a wellcollimated, linearly polarized beam. Thequalityof thebeam produced by the quasi-optical antenna is improved further by removing any sidelobes. Only a small fraction of the beam power is sacrificed.

Analysis and Optimization of a Quasioptical Waveguide-based Microcompact Testing Range for Submillimeter Waves

A technique is suggested for estimating and optimizing the basic parameters of the microcompact test range built around a quasi-optical transmission line, like hollow dielectric beam guide (HDBG). The microcompact range (MCR) is intended for laboratory studies of scattering properties of physical objects through quasi-optical modeling in a submillimeter-wavelength guide. Analytical expressions have been obtained relating the MCR geometry and electromagnetic parameters with characteristics of the HDBG. These equations are analyzed with account of the real-life excitation characteristics of the HDBG. It has been shown that because of the imperfect excitation of the principal mode at the HDBG input, the MCR length should be increased essentially to keep dimensions of the work area unchanged at a specified admissible level of variations in the incident field. Conditions have been formulated for ensuring the required “purity” of the incident field in the work area of the MCR for fixed magnitudes of the excitation efficiency and self-filtering of the principal mode in the HDBG.

Corrugated Horn Antenna for Low-Power Testing of the Quasioptical Transmission Lines at TJ-II Stellerator

This paper presents the design and characterisation of a millimetre-wave corrugated horn antenna to perform low power measurements of the main parameters of the quasioptical transmission lines of the Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ECRH) at TJ-II stellerator experiment working in Madrid (E). The antenna generates a practically pure Gaussian Beam at 53.2 GHz that simulates the stellerator gyrotron output beam. Simulations of the designed corrugated horn, by using a specially developed computer code, are presented. The far field radiation pattern of the constructed prototype was measured at the ESTEC Compact Antenna Test Range (CATR). The measurement results are in excellent agreement with those obtained from simulations.

Design of Optimum Sectional Tapers for Quasioptical Waveguide Circuits

The paper considers an optimum sectional taper (OST) which at a shortest length of the transition region provides nearly adiabatic propagation of the fundamental mode between circular, widely different in diameter quasioptical transmission lines of class "hollow dielectric waveguide". Derived as a series of coaxial circular-horn sections, the OST offers all the advantages of a simple geometry, primarily the ease in manufacture. The relationships among the critical geometrical parameters and the insertion loss calculation formulae are presented. The comparison studies show that the OST keeps the broad band ness of the ordinary linear taper but it allows much shorter length and lower loss. And even at a few sections, the OST is almost as good in performance as the ideal parabolic taper.

Characterization and preliminary results of the collective Thomson scattering system on FTU tokamak

A collective Thomson scattering (CTS) experiment is now installed on FTU aimed to measure the plasma ion temperature and test the theory of CTS. A high power 140 GHz gyrotron beam is focalized into the plasma center by means of a circular corrugated transmission line and an in-vessel optical system to a radius of 0.025 m. The scattered radiation is collected at 90° scattering angle by a symmetric in-vessel optical system and a low-power quasioptical transmission line which collects the scattered radiation on a superheterodyne receiver. Both in-vessel optical systems are placed in a vertical port. The receiver is based on 32 channels, 1.2 GHz global bandwidth, with a measured noise temperature Trec=1 eV and minimum integration time of 1 ms. The antenna decoupling measurement resulted about 60 dB, while the attenuation introduced by the collecting system is evaluated in 5 dB. The angle of the scattering wavevector and the magnetic field directions is 25°. The experiment is run at a magnetic field B=7.4–7.7 T, i.e., the gyrotron frequency is well below the first electron cyclotron emission (ECE) harmonic, so the ECE plasma background temperature is low and it is measured TECE=70–50 eV, respectively. The detected polarization is the ordinary mode. In this experiment the calculated signal is of the order of the ECE noise level. Indeed in a series of dedicated FTU runs, CTS signals with signal-to-noise consistent with calculation (made using standard formulas) were found. Some features of the detected scattered spectra are reported, as well as plasma radiation measurements in various plasma conditions including lower hybrid rf heating.

Electron cyclotron heating and current drive in the TJ-II stellarator

Electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) has become an attractive technique in today's fusion experiments not only as a heating mechanism but also as a diagnostic tool and a way to induce controllable currents through electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD). In this paper we show, using ray tracing simulations, how one can address all these issues with the ECRH system designed for the TJ-II stellarator. This ECRH set up consists of two 500 kW gyrotrons at f = 53.2 Ghz coupled to the plasma through two quasi-optical transmission lines, placed at two stellarator symmetric positions, and equipped with an internal steerable mirror. Using the three-dimensional (3D) Hamiltonian ray tracing code, TRECE, almost full single-pass absorption with localized power deposition is found for both on- and off-axis heating for any magnetic configuration. The simulations also show that it is possible to induce an appreciable ECCD despite the small oblique incidence angles attainable with the movable mirrors because of the rapid variation of the magnetic field direction and strength with the toroidal angle in TJ-II.

Production of an Intense, Well-Collimated Submillimeter Wave Beam and Its Application to Plasma Scattering Measurements

Intense submillimeter wavelength radiation (f=354 GHz, P=110 W) from Gyrotron FU II is converted into a well-collimated, linearly-polarized beam by a quasi-optical transmission line consisting of a quasi-optical antenna and several mirrors. The observed focusing of the beam agrees with calculations based on the Huygens equation. We have used this intense beam to study low frequency density fluctuations by plasma scattering in Compact Helical System (CHS) plasmas at the National Institute for Fusion Science.

A quasi-optical transmission line for plasma scattering measurements using a submillimetre wave gyrotron

A new transmission system has been designed to enable a submillimetre wave gyrotron (P 100 W, f = 354 GHz) to be used for plasma scattering. The optimized probe beam can be scanned across the plasma by rotating and moving the final mirror. Calculations using the Huygens equation for scalar diffraction show that this system can produce a well-collimated beam whose full width at half maximum is 12 mm.

Beam waveguide for ECRH at TJ-II

In this paper we present the main parameters of the transmission line system for Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ECRH) for the TJ-II experiment at theAsociacion Euratom Ciemat para Fusion in Madrid. This heating system is based on two quasioptical transmission lines carrying 400 kW and 0.5 sec. of pulse length each line and operating at the frequency of 53.2 GHz. The principal parameters of the designed mirrors and those of the guided beams are given in this paper. The first transmission line has already been built at the Ciemat workshop, the second one is under construction.

A spherical scatterer inside a circular hollow dielectric waveguide

A theoretical investigation is presented of scattering characteristics of a perfectly conducting spherical object placed inside a quasi-optical transmission line of the millimeter and submillimeter waves in the form of a circular hollow dielectric waveguide (HDW). From the analytical expressions obtained, backscattering and extinction cross sections of this object are derived via the excitation coefficient of the dominantHE 11 mode of the circular HDW and the HDW geometrical parameters. The agreement of the results with the corresponding data for the scattering of a plane homogeneous wave is shown.

Quasi-optical ferrite devices for millimeter and submillimeter wave bands

Main features of the development of quasi-optical ferrite devices, using Faraday effect, are considered. Properties of a polarizing divider and a ferrite rotator of a polarization plane are analysed with standpoint of minimum losses. A matching method, based on an utilization of the rotator element in a form of the multilayers ferrite structure, which can be adjusted independently for right-handed and left-handed cyrcularly polarized waves, is suggested. It is shown, that this method allows to obtain a total matching in a quasi-optical transmission line. Results of an investigation of quasi-optical ferrite devices for the oversized round waveguide withH11 mode are presented.