Collective High-k Adjustable-radius Scattering Instrument (CHASI) for measuring electron scale turbulence on MAST-U

ORAL

Abstract

Plasma turbulence on disparate spatial and temporal scales plays a key role in defining the level of confinement achievable in tokamaks, with the development of reduced numerical models for cross-scale turbulence informed by experimental measurements essential for understanding and maximising confinement. MAST-U is a well-equipped facility having instruments to measure ion and electron scale turbulence at the plasma edge. However, measurement of core electron scale turbulence is challenging, especially in H mode. We therefore propose a mm-wave based scattering diagnostic for measuring binormal oriented high-k (electron scale) turbulence in the MAST-U core and edge plasma. We present detailed hardware specifications along with Gaussian wave optics and beam-tracing calculations predicting the spatial and wavenumber resolution of measurements. We conduct an analysis of the instrument selectivity function, factoring in both theta-z and r-z pitch rotation of the binormal wavevector and compare simulated measurement specifications with CGYRO predictions of ETG turbulence by remapping the instrumental wavenumbers to field-aligned coordinates for a sample equilibrium. Baseline specifications of the diagnostic include an operating frequency of 376 GHz and a turbulence wavenumber measurement range of kρe = 0.1 -> 0.43 (for a MAST-U high-beta sample equilibrium), where kis the binormal turbulence wavenumber and ρe the electron gyroradius.

*The authors would like to thank the EPSRC who are supporting this research through grant EP/R034737/1.

Presenters

  • David C Speirs

    • University of Strathclyde

Authors

  • David C Speirs

    • University of Strathclyde
  • Juan Ruiz Ruiz

    • University of Oxford
    • Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3NP, U.K.
  • Maurizio Giacomin

    • University of York
    • York Plasma Institute, Department of Physics, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, U.K.
  • Valerian H Hall-Chen

    • Institute of High Performance Computing, Singapore 138632, Singapore
    • A*STAR, Singapore
    • Institute of High Performance Computing, A*STAR, Singapore 138632, Singapore
  • Alan R Phelps

    • University of Strathclyde
    • Department of Physics, SUPA, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, G4 0NG, U.K.
  • Roddy Vann

    • University of York
    • York Plasma Institute, Department of Physics, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, U.K.
  • Peter G Huggard

    • Millimetre Wave Technology Group, RAL Space, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot OX11 0QX, U.K.
  • Hui Wang

    • Millimetre Wave Technology Group, RAL Space, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot OX11 0QX, U.K.
  • Anthony Field

    • CCFE, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon OX14 3DB, U.K.
  • Kevin Ronald

    • University of Strathclyde
    • Department of Physics, SUPA, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, G4 0NG, U.K.