Dual Langmuir-probe array for 3D plasma studies in TORPEX.

ABSTRACT

We have designed and installed a new Langmuir-probe (LP) array diagnostic to determine basic three-dimensional (3D) features of plasmas in TORPEX. The diagnostic consists of two identical LP arrays, placed on opposite sides of the apparatus, which provide comprehensive coverage of the poloidal cross section at the two different toroidal locations. Cross correlation studies of signals from the arrays provide a basic way to extract 3D information from the plasmas, as experiments show. Moreover, the remarkable signal-to-noise performance of the front-end electronics allows us to follow a different approach in which we combine information from all probes in both arrays to reconstruct elementary 3D plasma structures at each acquisition time step. Then, through data analysis, we track the structures as they evolve in time. The LP arrays include a linear-motion mechanism that can displace radially the probes located on the low field side for experiments that require fine-tuning of the probe locations, and for operational compatibility with the recently installed in-vessel toroidal conductor.