The digital mirror Langmuir probe: Field programmable gate array implementation of real-time Langmuir probe biasing
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[2];
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[4];
[2]
- United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), Abingdon (United Kingdom); Durham Univ. (United Kingdom)
- Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
- Durham Univ. (United Kingdom)
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), Abingdon (United Kingdom)
High bandwidth, high spatial resolution measurements of electron temperature, density, and plasma potential are valuable for resolving turbulence in the boundary plasma of tokamaks. While conventional Langmuir probes can provide such measurements, either their temporal or spatial resolution is limited: the former by the sweep rate necessary for obtaining I-V characteristics and the latter by the need to use multiple electrodes, as is the case in triple and double probe configurations. The Mirror Langmuir Probe (MLP) bias technique overcomes these limitations by rapidly switching the voltage on a single electrode cycling between three bias states, each dynamically optimized for the local plasma conditions. The MLP system on Alcator C-Mod used analog circuitry to perform this function, measuring Te, VF, and Isat at 1.1 MSPS. Recently, a new prototype digital MLP controller has been implemented on a Red Pitaya Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) board which reproduces the functionality of the original controller and performs all data acquisition. There is also the potential to provide the plasma parameters externally for use with feedback control systems. The use of FPGA technology means the system is readily customizable at a fraction of the development time and implementation cost. A second Red Pitaya was used to test the MLP by simulating the current response of a physical probe using C-Mod experimental measurements. This project is available as a git repository to facilitate extensibility (e.g., real-time control outputs and more voltage states) and scalability through collaboration.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC05-00OR22725; SC0014264
- OSTI ID:
- 1617785
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1557883
- Journal Information:
- Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 90, Issue 8; ISSN 0034-6748
- Publisher:
- American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Web of Science
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