A synthetic diagnostics platform for microwave imaging diagnostics in tokamaks

Abstract

Interpreting experimental diagnostics data in tokamaks, which accounts for non-ideal effects, is challenging due to the complexity of plasmas. To address this challenge, a general synthetic diagnostics (GSD) platform that serves for microwave imaging reflectometer (MIR) and electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) has been established. This platform utilizes plasma profiles as input, and it incorporates finite difference time domain (FDTD), ray-tracing and radiative transfer equation to calculate the propagation of plasma spontaneous radiation and external electromagnetic field in plasmas. Benchmarks of classic cases have been conducted to verify the accuracy of every core module in GSD platform. Finally, a 2D imaging of a typical electron temperature distribution is reproduced by this platform and is consistent with the given real experimental data. This platform also has potential to be extended to 3D electromagnetic field simulations and to other microwave diagnostics such as cross-polarization scattering.