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Updated: Jun 13, 2026

A Practical Guide on Coupling a Scanning Mobility Sizer and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (SMPS-ICPMS)
Published on: July 11, 2017
Multichannel grazing-incidence spectrometer for plasma impurity diagnosis: SPRED.
R J Fonck1, A T Ramsey, R V Yelle
1Princeton University, Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA.
A new compact vacuum ultraviolet spectrometer provides time-resolved impurity spectra from tokamak plasmas. This system offers high spectral resolution and fast measurements for fusion energy research.
Area of Science:
- Plasma Physics
- Spectroscopy
- Fusion Energy
Background:
- Tokamak devices require precise monitoring of plasma impurities.
- Existing spectroscopic methods can be limited in time resolution or spectral range.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a compact, time-resolved vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) spectrometer for tokamak plasma diagnostics.
- To achieve simultaneous spectral coverage over broad VUV ranges with high resolution.
Main Methods:
- Utilized aberration-corrected toroidal diffraction gratings for broad spectral coverage (100-1100 A or 160-1700 A).
- Employed an intensified self-scanning photodiode array detector for rapid data acquisition.
- Achieved spectral resolution of 2 A with a higher dispersion grating.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated a minimum full spectrum readout time of 20 milliseconds.
- Enabled measurement of up to seven spectral lines with 1-millisecond time resolution.
- Achieved sensitivity comparable to conventional grazing-incidence monochromators.
Conclusions:
- The developed VUV spectrometer system is effective for time-resolved impurity analysis in tokamak plasmas.
- The system offers a valuable diagnostic tool for fusion energy research, balancing speed, resolution, and sensitivity.
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