Infrared laser polarimetry for electron density measurement in tokamak plasmas

Abstract

The infrared CO2 laser polarimetry for electron density measurement based on the tangential Faraday rotation has been progressed in JT-60U tokamak. The reliability of polarimetry in a pellet-injected plasma was confirmed. The Faraday rotation was measured with good angle resolution of ∼0.01° under the sufficiently fast temporal resolution of 4 ms. Electron density evaluated from the tangential Faraday rotation measured by polarimetry shows good agreement with that measured by interferometry for an identical probing laser beam. The long-time continuous measurement was successful with good stability and accuracy. The basic feasibility of the infrared CO2 laser polarimetry for electron density measurement in long-time and steady-state operation in large fusion devices was demonstrated.