The new JET 2.5-MeV neutron time-of-flight spectrometer

Abstract

A major upgrade of the JET 2.5-MeV neutron time-of-flight spectrometer has been completed. The improvement has permitted ion temperature measurements for Maxwellian deuterium plasmas with Ti≳4 keV to be obtained in 0.5-s intervals. By combining observations of neutron and x-ray energy spectra with studies of γ-ray emission from reactions between fast deuterons and impurities, the effects of ICRF heating on the deuterium energy distribution have been studied. The time evolution of neutron energy spectra from deuterium-beam heated deuterium plasmas is illustrated and a method for evaluating the ion temperature from such sequences is indicated. Furthermore, the spectrometer has shown stable performance during high neutron fluxes.