The Thomson scattering system of the ASDEX upgrade (AUG) tokamak is described. One of the main objectives of AUG is to investigate plasma wall interaction in reactor relevant discharges with a magnetic diver-tor. The very successful Nd:YAG scattering system developed for its predecessor ASDEX, has been upgraded to give higher spatial and temporal resolution, reliability, and flexibility to different discharge conditions. The system consists of two independently operating devices, each using a cluster of six lasers: One measures the electron temperature and density along three possible vertical chords alternatively through the magnetic axis, or the inner or outer boundary layer; a second chord in the equatorial plane will always cover the magnetic center even in the case of considerable Shafranov shifts. An additional compact spectrometer has been designed for measurements with high radial resolution in the equatorial plane across the separatrix. A third system, using the laser beams for the vertical arrangement once again, has been designed for profile measurements in the energy deposition zone 2 cm above the outer divertor plate. Each laser is run at a repetition rate of 20 Hz and 1 J per pulse. A variety of synchronization modes are available, e.g., 20 Hz/6 J, 120 Hz/1 J etc., or repetitive bursts at 20 Hz. In this case the minimum delay between two pulses is presently limited to almost-equal-to 30 mus by the existing data acquisition. This mode will be used for investigating fast phenomena such as sawteeth or disruptive instabilities. During the time intervals between the laser pulses the bremsstrahlung radiation (line integral) will be measured by the Thomson scattering detection system to calculate Z(eff).
