Recent results and prospects for correlation ECE measurements on TCV

¹ Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Centre de Recherches en Physique des Plasmas, Association Euratom-Confédération Suisse, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
² ITER Organization, Building 519/122, CHD, Diagnostics Division Route de Vinon sur Verdon – 13115 St Paul Lez Durance – France

Abstract

The Tokamak a Configuration Variable (TCV) has a two channel correlation electron cyclotron emission (CECE) radiometer with a line of sight perpendicular to the magnetic field. The antenna pattern of this radiometer limits resolution to k_θ < 112 m-1 or k_θρ_s < 0.3 at 500 kHz. It can access the region with minor radius ρ_vol < 0.7. A series of measurements has been made of the turbulence spectra at positive and negative triangularity and as a function of collisionality. Also, a series of measurements has been made as a function of poloidal angle, by varying the plasma vertical position with respect to the antenna, the measurements being made on the same flux surface. It is planned to extensively upgrade the diagnostic by integrating four more channels and acquiring a new front-end for the radiometer. This upgrade should reduce the required number of shots for a radial scan by a factor four and improve the signal-to-noise ratio. It is also planned to use a high gain antenna that will extend access to k_ρ < 174m^-1 or k_θρ_s < 0.5 at 500 kHz. The present system, measurements and the upgrade are described in this paper.