Enhancements to the Compact Helical System fast ion loss probe

A scintillator-based fast ion loss probe has been used to measure 40 keV neutral beam ion loss from Compact Helical System plasmas. Modifications have recently been made to the probe to expand the range of gyroradius covered and to increase the probe acceptance at low pitch angles. In addition, a lamp has been installed inside the probe to facilitate calibration of the scintillator position within the field of view of the video camera. Finally, a Faraday cup structure, integral with the scintillator, has been added to allow direct measurement of the ion current to the probe. This last feature allows much easier absolute calibration of the diagnostic. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0034-6748(99)64701-3].