The effect of Er on motional-Stark effect measurements of q, a new technique for measuring Er, and a test of the neoclassical Er

Previous analysis of motional-Stark Effect (MSE) data to measure the q-profile ignored contributions from the plasma electric field. The MSE measurements are shown to be sensitive to the electric field and require significant corrections for plasmas with large rotation velocities or pressure gradients. MSE measurements from rotating plasmas on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) [Phys. Plasmas 2, 2176 (1975)] confirm the significance of these corrections and verify their magnitude. Several attractive configurations are considered for future MSE-based diagnostics for measuring the plasma radial electric field. MSE data from TFTR are analyzed to determine the change in the radial electric field between two plasmas. The measured electric field quantitatively agrees with the predictions of neoclassical theory. These results confirm the utility of a MSE electric field measurement.