Design of an ND:YAG laser Thomson scattering diagnostic for CMFX

Information about the plasma density and temperature profile evolution is crucial for understanding the processes inside thermonuclear fusion experiments such as the Centrifugal Mirror Fusion Experiment (CMFX), and for progressing toward fusion reactor design. We present our design of the ND: YAG 1064 nm laser setup with the beam passing through the central plane of the experiment, which allows measurement of the highest temperatures and densities along various points on the radial profile. The collection optics consist of: an adjustable aperture; a lens focusing the light on an optical fiber bundle for ease of alignment and providing it to the polychromator; a polychromator; avalanche photodiodes with specifically designed interference filters that allow us to reconstruct the temperature with the lowest error in the expected temperature range; the data acquisition system; and the software to control the system and process the measured data. Once installed, this diagnostic tool will allow us, for the first time, to make direct localized measurements of the plasma electron temperature and density in CMFX.