Progress on the multipulse Thomson scattering diagnostic on DIII‐D

The DIII‐D Thomson scattering diagnostic, operational since 1990, uses 8 Nd:YAG 20‐Hz lasers to measure electron temperature and density profiles (40 spatial points) throughout the plasma discharge. Recent progress has enabled a new set of operating modes to better fulfill varying plasma physics requirements. Custom circuitry for laser control (programmable with 1 μs precision) has successfully replaced a previous scheme which used real‐time 68030 software. Two new modes of operation have been demonstrated. Burst mode is useful to study a transient plasma event: a series of laser pulses are fired at a rate ≤10 kHz after an external asynchronous event trigger. Burst mode is also useful to synchronize the Thomson lasers with other systems, such as an asynchronous Michelson ECE diagnostic scanning near 40 Hz. Group mode allows a programmed set of lasers to fire simultaneously into the same (65 ns) data acquisition gate. Improved signal/noise then yields smaller statistical errors in the profile results. This provides profile data for lower density plasmas, such as those anticipated during fast wave current drive experiments. Plans for a new CCD‐based laser alignment system for position monitoring and feedback control will also be presented.