Conceptual design of a scintillator based Imaging Heavy Ion Beam Probe for the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak

Abstract

A conceptual design of a new diagnostic for the simultaneous space and time resolved measurement of plasma density, potential and poloidal magnetic field fluctuations at ASDEX Upgrade is proposed. The diagnostic combines the detection techniques of standard heavy ion beam probes (HIBP) and scintillator based fast ion loss detectors (FILD), making use of an atomic beam to probe plasma parameters with high spatio-temporal resolution. This new approach takes advantage of using a neutral probe beam and a scintillator plate as detection system. The combination of these two techniques makes the diagnostic more compact than standard HIBP facilitating its integration in the machine. Simulations using an orbit following code have been carried out to investigate the viability of the proposed detection method based on the displacement of the beam strike-line on the scintillator plate. Relative plasma potential fluctuations from 10% to 100% in the potential well induce localized displacements in the strike line in the range of 0.1-1.0 mm, while poloidal magnetic field fluctuations such as those arising from edge currents produce displacements in the order of mm. The use of a scintillator screen provides virtually infinite spatial resolution together with a temporal resolution up to the MHz range, needed for the identification of internal fluctuations.