From: IRBY@PSFC.MIT.EDU
Reply-To: IRBY@PSFC.MIT.EDU
Subject: Alcator C-Mod Weekly Highlights
Organization: MIT
Newsgroups: sci.physics.plasma


Alcator C-Mod Weekly Highlights
January 18, 1999




Engineering:

Alcator C-Mod was baked for several days last week as we prepared for
plasma operation. Following the bake, ECDC was started to condition the
plasma facing surfaces. This activity will continue for several
more days. The magnets have also been cooled down to operating
temperature and successfully rung and hi-potted. The alternator has
been brought up to full speed and testing of the power supplies into
the magnets has begun. Many diagnostics are also being debugged and brought
back online during this period.

Development of the diagnostics and controls for the DNB continued. Matt
Sampsell, UT-FRC, visited PPPL to test the fibers planned for MSE/BES on
C-Mod. A set of fibers was selected for shipment to MIT. Work on the
controls for the Mod/Reg continued with electronics design and internal
cabling. Testing of the accelerator supply electronics chassis boards was
completed.

The radiometer for the ECE system to be supplied and operated by UT-FRC was
successfully tested with the eight channels of the IF section. The
radiometer has been shipped for installation next week.

We continue to install transmission line and coupling components for the
new J-port antenna. Vacuum conditioning of the D and E-port antennas
has begun.

An existing one meter Ebert spectrograph has been modified to enable dedicated
high resolution measurements of the Balmer alpha lines of hydrogen and
deuterium, in order to monitor the time history of the atomic D/H ratio at the
edge of all discharges. The spectrograph has been outfitted with a 64 pixel
reticon photodiode array detector, and has been calibrated using a lamp
containing a mixture of hydrogen and deuterium. The measured instrumental
resolution is about .015 nanometers (half width at 1/e). Light will be
collected using a fiber optic view at K horizontal, with selectable polarizers
to discriminate between the pi and sigma Zeeman components of the emission.

Absolute calibration of the Michelson interferometer (ECE) system was carried
out successfully on Tuesday. The two-color-interferometer (TCI) is operational
and ready for plasma operation.

The C-Mod Run Schedule on the Web has been updated. Overall plans for the 1999
Campaign can be found at http://www.pfc.mit.edu/cmod/run_schedule.html. Daily
operations information can be found on the C-Mod Operations Calendar at
http://www.pfc.mit.edu/cgi/calendars/cmod, which is updated sporadically as
information becomes available. Those with access to the online OPS bulletin board
are advised to check there for the most up-to-date schedule information.

The LOGBOOK was moved from the legacy RDB database to a new Windows-NT
based database server running SQLSERVER. This new database is
considerably faster and more robust than its predecessor. The rest of
the databases will be migrated after the dedicated database server
computer which has been ordered is installed. When this is completed we
will shut down our RDB databases permanently.


Physics:

Three candidates are enrolled in the training course for new Alcator C-Mod
Physics Operators that began this week. The course includes classroom sessions
and practice exercises, to be followed by a brief apprenticeship during which
the candidates will act as Assistant Physics Operators during the Startup
phase of the upcoming run campaign. We expect training to be completed by the
start of Physics Operation in February.


Travel and Visits:

Steve Paul from PPPL visited last week to learn about
our setup for the AXUV diode arrays (bolometric measurement)
on Alcator C-Mod. He is interested in installing a similar
system for NSTX at PPPL. He met with Rejean Boivin
to discuss details of our different arrays, including the locations
and electronics. More informal exchanges are planned in the near future.
Ricky Maqueda from LANL is at MIT this week working on his IR periscope
and camera system.

Martin Greenwald travelled to Washington D.C. to attend a meeting
of the ESnet steering committee (ESSC). Issues discussed included upgrades
to international connections; new requirements expected from the SSI;
and possible new directions for the ESnet Coordinating Committee (a
technical committee reporting to the ESSC.) Half a day was devoted to
relationships with the DOE program offices. About 10 contract monitors
representing most of the SC programs attended this session.