Development of ECE-I and ECE synthetic diagnostics in NIMROD

In this work, we present the development of Electron Cyclotron Emission Imaging (ECE-I) and Electron Cyclotron Emission (ECE) synthetic diagnostics integrated with the NIMROD code. These diagnostics are essential for validating simulation data from fusion plasmas by replicating ECE system responses under experimental conditions. The electron temperature profile is measured via the detection of microwave radiation emitted by electrons gyrating around magnetic field lines at the cold-plasma second cyclotron harmonic frequency ( f = 2eB / m_e ) . The integration with NIMROD, which simulates magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) phenomena, enhances the modeling of cyclotron radiation emitted from plasma. This detailed modeling supports the validation of simulation codes and aids in optimizing ECE imaging system designs. We applied these synthetic diagnostics to KSTAR inner-wall limited L-mode and diverted H-mode discharges and DIII-D negative triangularity discharges. The goal is to validate both linear and nonlinear plasma response simulations against experimental measurements. Testing these synthetic diagnostics will demonstrate their effectiveness and accuracy across different experimental setups and magnetic configurations.