No abstract available

[en] This report contains the program and abstracts of papers presented at the Second American Physical Society Topical Conference on High Temperature Plasma Diagnostics, March 1-3, 1978, Santa Fe, New Mexico

[en] The concept of heating high density magnetically confined plasmas with long wavelength laser light is of considerable interest for fusion applications. The Scylla I-C experiment was initiated in order to investigate the interaction of a high power (approximately 10⁹ W) CO₂ laser beam with a dense (n/sb e/ greater than or equal to 10¹⁷ cm^-3) theta-pinch plasma. The experiment is directed toward the investigation of (a) channeling of the laser beam along the large aspect ratio (L/D approximately 100) plasma column, (b) plasma heating by laser energy absorption and, (c) anomalous backscatter of laser light. The results of an investigation of the theta-pinch plasma parameters, the CO₂ laser operating characteristics, and the phenomenology of the laser-plasma interaction are discussed. (auth)

[en] A multiple-point Thomson scattering device, capable of giving radial electron temperature profiles, has been developed for the ZT-40 reversed field pinch experiment. The measurement is accomplished by observing the Thomson scattered spectrum from along an entire chord of focused ruby-laser light traversing the minor diameter of the plasma. A specially built, nearly diffraction limited laser is focused through the plasma using a long focal length lens. The detector uses specially designed collection optics to focus the entire scattering volume into an image dissecting array of fiber optics, which serves as the entrance slit to an anastigmatic spectrograph. The dispersed spectra from all the spatial locations are detected with a gated microchannel plate image intensifier, and recorded on an optical multichannel anlyzer using a SIT tube detector. A computer interface is used for data transmission for analysis. Results from the ZT-40 experiment will be presented

[en] The object of the Scylla I-B implosion heating experiment is to study the implosion process over a range of E/sub theta/'s and initial fill densities characteristic of past and present Scylla-type theta pinches. Ionization and implosion processes are discussed. Some plasma measurements on Scylla I-C are also reported

[en] The Scyllac toroidal theta pinch optical diagnostic complement consists of three types of measurements: plasma self-luminosity, laser interferometry, and laser light scattering. Each is described separately below. (auth)

[en] The Scylla I-C theta pinch is presently being used in conjunction with a CO₂ cold cathode laser to study the interaction of axially directed long wavelength laser light (10-6 μm) with the dense (n/sub e/ approximately 10¹⁷ cm^-3) theta-pinch plasma column. During the past year a major experimental effort was carried out in order to develop a cold cathode CO₂ laser system capable of generating the output energy and laser pulse waveform required for the laser-plasma interaction experiment. The CO₂ laser beam has been directed into the Scylla I-C theta-pinch plasma and initial experiments on the laser-plasma interaction have been conducted. An investigation of plasma end loss from the Scylla I-C plasma column is reported. The end-loss process was examined with both an end-on interferometer and a specially designed piezo-electric pressure transducer

[en] The Scylla 1-C experiment was initiated in order to investigate the interaction of a high power (approximately 10⁹ W) CO₂ laser beam with a dense (nsub(e) approximately > 10¹⁷ cm^-3) theta-pinch plasma. The experiment is directed toward the investigation of a) channeling of the laser beam along the large aspect ratio (L/D approximately 100) plasma column, b) plasma heating by laser energy absorption and c) anomalous backscatter of laser light. In this paper the results of an investigation of the theta-pinch plasma parameters , the CO₂ laser operating characteristics and the phenomenology of the laser-plasma interaction are discussed. (U.K.)

[en] Brief discussions are given for each of the following topics: (1) development of spatially resolved Thomson scattering, (2) time differential double exposure holographic interferometry, (4) toroidal image intensifier framing camera, (5) heterodyne interferometry, (6) hf laser holographic interferometry, and (7) new luminosity apparatus

No abstract available