Frontier system-on-chip (SoC) technology for microwave diagnostics (invited).

The next generation of fusion reactors, exemplified by projects such as the Demonstration Power Plant following the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, faces the monumental challenge of proving the viability of generating electricity through thermonuclear fusion. This pursuit introduces heightened complexities in diagnostic methodologies, particularly in microwave-based diagnostics. The increased neutron fluence necessitates significant reductions in vessel penetrations and the elimination of internal diagnostics, posing substantial challenges.

Millimeter-wave high-wavenumber scattering diagnostic developments on EAST and NSTX-U.

A pioneering 4-channel, high-k poloidal, millimeter-wave collective scattering system has been successfully developed for the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). Engineered to explore high-k electron density fluctuations, this innovative system deploys a 270 GHz mm-wave probe beam launched from Port K and directed toward Port P (both ports lie on the midplane and are 110° part), where large aperture optics capture radiation across four simultaneous scattering angles. Tailored to measure density fluctuations with a poloidal wavenumber of up to 20 cm-1, this high-k scattering system underwent rigorous laboratory testing in 2023, and the installation is currently being carried out on EAST.

Demonstration of a 263-GHz Traveling Wave Tube for Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.

In this letter, a 263 GHz traveling wave tube for electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy is designed, fabricated and tested. A periodic permanent magnet focused pencil beam electron optical system is adopted. A folded waveguide slow-wave structure with modified serpentine bends is optimized to provide high-power wideband performance and stable operation.

Development of ultra-short pulse reflectometry on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST).

Microwave reflectometry is an invaluable diagnostic tool for measuring electron density profiles in large fusion devices. Density fluctuations near the plasma cutoff layer, particularly those that are time-varying on the timescale of the reflectometry measurement, can result in distortions in phase and/or amplitude of the reflected waveform, which present challenges to the accuracy of the reconstructed profile. The ultra-short pulse reflectometry (USPR) technique eliminates the time-varying issue in that reflectometry data are collected on a nanosecond timescale, essentially freezing the fluctuations in place.

Modeling the electron cyclotron emission radiation signature from suprathermal electrons in a tokamak.

An Electron Cyclotron Emission (ECE) modeling code has been developed to model ECE radiation with an arbitrary electron momentum distribution, a small oblique angle, both ordinary (O-mode) and extraordinary polarizations (X-mode), and multiple cyclotron frequency harmonics. The emission and absorption coefficients are calculated using the Poynting theorem from the cold plasma dispersion and the electron-microwave interaction from the full anti-Hermitian tensor. The modeling shows several ECE radiation signatures that can be used to diagnose the population of suprathermal electrons in a tokamak.