Vedran Furtula

Design and performance of the collective Thomson scattering receiver at ASDEX Upgrade.

Here we present the design of the fast-ion collective Thomson scattering receiver for millimeter wave radiation installed at ASDEX Upgrade, a tokamak for fusion plasma experiments. The receiver can detect spectral power densities of a few eV against the electron cyclotron emission background on the order of 100 eV under presence of gyrotron stray radiation that is several orders of magnitude stronger than the signal to be detected. The receiver down converts the frequencies of scattered radiation (100-110 GHz) to intermediate frequencies (IF) (4.5-14.5 GHz) by heterodyning. The IF signal is divided into 50 IF channels tightly spaced in frequency space. The channels are terminated by square-law detector diodes that convert the signal power into DC voltages. We present measurements of the transmission characteristics and performance of the main receiver components operating at mm-wave frequencies (notch, bandpass, and lowpass filters, a voltage-controlled variable attenuator, and an isolator), the down-converter unit, and the IF components (amplifiers, bandpass filters, and detector diodes). Furthermore, we determine the performance of the receiver as a unit through spectral response measurements and find reasonable agreement with the expectation based on the individual component measurements.

Collective Thomson scattering measurements with high frequency resolution at TEXTOR

We discuss the development and first results of a receiver system for the collective Thomson scattering (CTS) diagnostic at TEXTOR with frequency resolution in the megahertz range or better. The improved frequency resolution expands the diagnostic range and utility of CTS measurements in general and is a prerequisite for measurements of ion Bernstein wave signatures in CTS spectra. The first results from the new acquisition system are shown to be consistent with theory and with simultaneous measurements by the standard receiver system.

Investigation of first mirror heating for the collective Thomson scattering diagnostic in ITER

Collective Thomson scattering (CTS) has the capabilities to measure phase space densities of fast ion populations in ITER resolved in configuration space, in velocity space, and in time. In the CTS system proposed for ITER, probing radiation at 60 GHz generated by two 1 MW gyrotrons is scattered in the plasma and collected by arrays of receivers. The transmission lines from the gyrotrons to the plasma and from the plasma to the receivers contain several quasioptical mirrors among other components. These are designed to produce astigmatic beam patterns in the plasma where the beam shapes will have a direct impact on the signal strength of the diagnostic, the spatial resolution, and the robustness of probe and receiver beam overlap against density excursions. The first mirror has a line of sight to the plasma and is thus exposed to severe neutron streaming. The present neutronics and thermomechanical modeling of a first mirror on the high field side indicates that the mirror curvature may warp due to heating. This may alter the beam quality, and therefore, thermal effects have to be accounted for during the design of the mirror. The modeling further demonstrates that thin mirrors are superior to thick mirrors from a thermomechanical point of view.

Antenna design for fast ion collective Thomson scattering diagnostic for the international thermonuclear experimental reactor

Fast ion physics will play an important role for the international thermonuclear experimental reactor (ITER), where confined alpha particles will affect and be affected by plasma dynamics and thereby have impacts on the overall confinement. A fast ion collective Thomson scattering (CTS) diagnostic using gyrotrons operated at 60 GHz will meet the requirements for spatially and temporally resolved measurements of the velocity distributions of confined fast alphas in ITER by evaluating the scattered radiation (CTS signal). While a receiver antenna on the low field side of the tokamak, resolving near perpendicular (to the magnetic field) velocity components, has been enabled, an additional antenna on the high field side (HFS) would enable measurements of near parallel (to the magnetic field) velocity components. A compact design solution for the proposed mirror system on the HFS is presented. The HFS CTS antenna is located behind the blankets and views the plasma through the gap between two blanket modules. The viewing gap has been modified to dimensions 30x500 mm(2) to optimize the CTS signal. A 1:1 mock-up of the HFS mirror system was built. Measurements of the beam characteristics for millimeter-waves at 60 GHz used in the mock-up agree well with the modeling.

140-220 GHz Imaging Front-end Based on 250 nm InP/InGaAs/InP DHBT Process

This paper presents a pre-amplified detector receiver based on a 250 nm InP/InGaAs/InP double heterojunction bipolar transistor (DHBT) process available from the Teledyne scientific. The front end consists of a double slot antenna followed by a five stage low noise amplifier and a detector, all integrated onto the same circuit. Results of measured responsivity and noise are presented. The receiver is characterized through measuring its response to hot (293) and cold (78) K terminations. Measurements of the voltage noise spectrum at the video output of the receiver are presented and can be used to derive the temperature resolution of the receiver for a specific video bandwidth.

W-band waveguide bandpass filter with E-plane cut.

In this paper, we present a design and measurements of a five-section bandpass filter with a passband from 96 to 106 GHz. The insertion loss is less than 1.4 dB in the passband, and the rejection is better than 40 dB in the range from 115 to 142 GHz. We use transmission line coupling theory based on Tchebyscheffs synthesis in order to provide an initial guess for the geometrical parameters of the filter such as cavity lengths and coupling widths. The filter is manufactured from brass in two halves in the E-plane cut topology. The S-parameters of the filter are measured and compared with the simulations. The measured passband insertion loss is approximately 0.4 dB worse than in the simulation, and the measured passband width is approximately 3.4% narrower. The measured filter attenuation roll-off corresponds well to the simulation. We also compare our S-parameter measurements of the E-plane filter with corresponding measurements of a very similar H-plane filter. The transmission and reflection characteristics of the E-plane filter are better than those of the H-plane filter.

105 GHz Notch Filter Design for Collective Thomson Scattering

Abstract A millimeter-wave notch filter with 105-GHz center frequency, >20-GHz passband coverage, and 1-GHz rejection bandwidth has been constructed. The design is based on a fundamental rectangular waveguide with cylindrical cavities coupled by narrow iris gaps, i.e., small elongated holes of negligible thickness. We use numerical simulations to study the sensitivity of the notch filter performance to changes in geometry and in material conductivity within a bandwidth of ±10 GHz. The constructed filter is tested successfully using a vector network analyzer monitoring a total bandwidth of 20 GHz. The typical insertion loss in the passband is <1.5 dB, and the attenuation in the stopband is [approximately]40 dB.

Fast Ion Collective Thomson Scattering Diagnostic for ITER - Progress of Design

An integrated detailed design of a Collective Thomson Scattering (CTS) diagnostic system for measuring the distribution of fast ions in ITER has been performed. The system is based on two high power probe beams with a frequency of 60 GHz and two receiver systems. This system is able to fulfill the requirements for measuring the fast ion distribution from 100 keV to 3.5 MeV with a time resolution of 100 ms and a spatial resolution of 1/10 of the minor radius. Email of P.K. Michelsen: poul.michelsen@risoe.dk

Elevation angle alignment of quasi optical receiver mirrors of collective Thomson scattering diagnostic by sawtooth measurements

Localized measurements of the fast ion velocity distribution function and the plasma composition measurements are of significant interest for the fusion community. Collective Thomson scattering (CTS) diagnostics allow such measurements with spatial and temporal resolution. Localized measurements require a good alignment of the optical path in the transmission line. Monitoring the alignment during the experiment greatly benefits the confidence in the CTS measurements. An in situ technique for the assessment of the elevation angle alignment of the receiver is developed. Using the CTS diagnostic on TEXTOR without a source of probing radiation in discharges with sawtooth oscillations, an elevation angle misalignment of 0.9° was found with an accuracy of 0.25°.