Scintillator probe for lost alpha measurements in JET

Good confinement of alpha particles in a large magnetic fusion device is a precondition for building a magnetic fusion reactor. The direct measurement of alpha particle losses is of particular interest. Appropriate diagnostics are now being prepared for the Joint European Torus tokamak: a scintillator probe and a set of Faraday cups. Both systems are capable of measuring charged fusion products and ion cyclotron resonance heating tail ions. The design of the lost alpha particle scintillator probe is in the scope of this article. It will allow the detection of particles with a gyroradius between 20 and 140 mm (15% resolution) and a pitch angle between 30degrees and 86degrees (5% resolution). As scintillating material P56 will be used. The light emitted by the scintillator caused by charged particles that pass the collimator and hit the scintillator will be detected via a set of optical lenses and a coherent image fiber bundle with a charge coupled device camera and a photomultiplier array. In the following the present design of the scintillator probe with emphasis on the performance of the system, structural resistance against plasma disruptions, and the requirements on the heat protection against plasma and neutral beam induced thermal loads will be described. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.