What is it about?
Large nuclear fusion experiments such as ITER use magnetic fields to contain hot and dense plasma. The goal of these experiments is to sustain a fusion reaction, which can be used to produce power. To observe what is happening in the extreme conditions inside a fusion reaction, special diagnostic tools are needed. Our team is testing a diagnostic that can observe the temperature inside the magnetically confined plasma. In addition, it can detect instabilities called neoclassical tearing modes (NTMs) that degrade performance and can lead to disruptions. This detection is needed to suppress the instability.
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Why is it important?
Larger tokamaks like ITER will sustain higher temperatures, densities, and magnetic fields than ever tested experimentally. Additional physics need to be considered to make sure that things like our diagnostic will work properly. These studies inform the design of the diagnostic, and let us know the limitations. It is critical that our diagnostic be able to detect the neoclassical tearing mode instability with low latency in order to leave the control system enough time to apply countermeasures. This work shows that our design meets this challenge.
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This page is a summary of: Electron cyclotron emission detection of neoclassical tearing modes for control for ITER, Review of Scientific Instruments, July 2024, American Institute of Physics,
DOI: 10.1063/5.0219334.
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