Multipoint vertical-Thomson scattering diagnostic on HL-2A tokamak

• Published in: Review of scientific instruments 2018-10, Vol.89 (10), p.10C116-10C116
• Main Authors: Huang, Y., Wang, Y. Q., Hou, Z. P., Ren, L. L., Liu, C. H., Feng, Z., Luo, C. W.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analog to digital converters; Avalanche diodes; Channels; Diagnostic systems; Digitization; Divertors (fusion reactors); Electron energy; Electronics; Laser beams; Lasers; Photodiode detectors; Photodiodes; Plasma; Plasmas (physics); Scientific apparatus & instruments; Thomson scattering; Tokamak devices
• ISSN: 0034-6748; 1089-7623
• DOI: 10.1063/1.5035556

Some progress has been made to develop the multipoint Thomson scattering (TS) diagnostic for the HL-2A tokamak physics experiments. Hardware of silicon avalanche photodiode detector electronics is improved, which provides two output signal channels. In one channel, only the rapid TS signal is the output after deducting the influence of the background slow-varying plasma light. In the other, both the rapid TS signal and the plasma background signal are the output. In the latest HL-2A experiment campaign, the newly developed electronics are tested and TS signals can be obtained from each of the two channels, where the signal is digitized by 12-bit transient recorder sampled at 1 GS/s. Laser beam alignment is fulfilled by using motorized stages to control the laser beam passing through ∼10 mm-wide narrow throats of the lower and upper closed divertors with small movements and then the stray laser light is reduced. New modules of fast digitizers with more than 100 channels are installed and will be used to record TS pulse signals. On the basis of these achievements, about 15-point measurements of plasma electron temperature and density by Thomson scattering diagnostic will come into operation in the upcoming HL-2A experiment campaign.