We describe a fast reciprocating probe drive, which has three main new features: ͑1͒ a detachable and modular probe head for easy maintenance, ͑2͒ a combination of high heat flux capability, high bandwidth, and low-Z materials construction, and ͑3͒ low weight, compact, inexpensive construction. The probe is mounted in a fast pneumatic drive in order to reach plasma regions of interest and remain inserted long enough to obtain good statistics while minimizing the heat flux to the tips and head. The drive is pneumatic and has been designed to be compact and reliable to comply with space and maintenance requirements of tokamaks. The probe described here has five tips which obtain a full spectrum of plasma parameters: electron temperature profile T e (r), electron density profile n e (r), floating potential profile V f (r), poloidal electric field profile E (r), saturation current profile I sat (r), and their fluctuations up to 3 MHz. We describe the probe show radial profiles of various parameters. We compare the density and temperature data to that obtained with a helium beam. We also discuss the techniques to process the data optimally, particularly double probe data and profile fits.

We describe a fast reciprocating Langmuir probe and drive system, which has four main new features: (1) use of high-temperature, vacuum, circuit boards instead of cables to reduce weight and increase to 21 the number of possible connections, (2) rotatable and removable shaft, (3) 10 tip construction with designed hardware bandwidth up to 10 MHz, and (4) a detachable and modular tip assembly for easy maintenance. The probe is mounted in a fast pneumatic drive capable of speeds approximately 7 m/s and approximately 20g's acceleration in order to reach the scrape-off layer (SOL) and pedestal regions and remain inserted long enough to obtain good statistics while minimizing the heat deposition to the tips and head in a power density environment of 1-10 MW/m2. The National Spherical Torus Experiment SOL features electron temperature, T(e) approximately 10-30 eV, and electron density, n(e) approximately 0.1-5x10(12) cm(-3) while the pedestal features n(e) approximately 0.5-1.5x10(13) cm(-3) and T(e) approximately 30-150 eV. The probe described here has ten tips which obtain a wide spectrum of plasma parameters: electron temperature profile T(e)(r), electron density profile n(e)(r) and Mach number profile M(r), floating potential V(f)(r), poloidal and radial electric field profiles E(theta)(r) and E(rho)(r), saturation current profile I(sat)(r), and their fluctuations up to 3 MHz. We describe the probe and show representative radial profiles of various parameters.

Silicon absolute extreme ultraviolet ͑AXUV͒ photodiodes have been employed in a disruption radiometer diagnostic for measurement of radiant power in the DIII-D tokamak with a 170 kHz bandwidth. This is motivated by a need to improve the understanding of radiative processes in tokamak disruptions. The diagnostic described in this article has a single line of sight though the central plasma. Accounting for the photon energy dependence of the AXUV photodiode responsivity is made possible by optical filtering, with the aid of spectra from an extreme ultraviolet survey spectrometer. The appropriate effective responsivity for interpretation of the data is lower than the nominal value typically used for the detector. In the current quench phase of disruptions, it is less than half the nominal value. Comparisons with results from a foil bolometer find good agreement.

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Recent upgrades to the soft x-ray (SXR) array system on the DIII-D tokamak are described. The system consists of two 32-channel arrays at one toroidal location and three toroidally distributed 12-channel arrays. The 32-channel arrays have been completely rebuilt to allow the switching of SXR filters without breaking vacuum. The 12-channel arrays have had upgrades performed to detectors, view slits, and data acquisition. Absolute extreme ultraviolet (AXUV) photodiodes are used as detectors in all arrays, allowing detection of photons ranging in energy from 2 eV to 10 keV. In the fixed-filter arrays, 127 μm Be filters are used. In the variable-filter arrays, filter wheels are used to switch between five different possible pinhole/filter combinations.