Hard x-ray diagnostic for lower hybrid experiments on Alcator C-Mod

Abstract

Alcator C-Mod’s lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) system allows the exploration of advanced tokamak (AT) regimes at densities relevant to ITER and fusion reactors. The location of the LHCD is critical to AT performance and may be inferred by measuring the nonthermal bremsstrahlung emission in the hard x-ray (HXR) region. A pinhole camera using an array of 32 CdZnTe detectors is used to image energies in the 20–200keV range. Detectors and pulse processing electronics are integrated into a compact and modular package making extensive use of printed circuit board and surface mount technology. The system also makes use of fast digitization and software signal processing techniques. An ambient environment of neutrons, gammas, and high rf power requires careful shielding. Shielding is studied using the neutron and photon transport code MCNP. The design of the diagnostic is presented along with background measurements in lieu of LHCD fast electrons. Background measurements are then compared to advanced modeling results to predict the power threshold for meaningful HXR data for a H-mode target plasma.