MANTIS: A real-time quantitative multispectral imaging system for fusion plasmas.

Area of Science:

• Plasma Physics
• Fusion Energy Research
• Diagnostic Instrumentation

Background:

• Tokamak devices require advanced diagnostics for real-time plasma monitoring.
• Multispectral imaging offers detailed insights into plasma behavior.
• Previous imaging systems faced limitations in real-time capability and spectral resolution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and characterize the novel 10-channel Multispectral Advanced Narrowband Tokamak Imaging System (MANTIS).
• To assess the system's real-time performance and image quality, particularly concerning interference filters.
• To demonstrate the system's utility in analyzing plasma emission spectra.

Main Methods:

• Installation and configuration of the MANTIS on the TCV tokamak.
• Assessment of image quality, focusing on narrowband interference filter performance and internal reflections.
• Development and benchmarking of real-time algorithms for data acquisition and synchronization.
• Demonstration using a density ramp discharge experiment.

Main Results:

• The MANTIS system is operational and capable of real-time, 10-channel multispectral imaging.
• Internal reflections in some narrowband filters were identified and quantified, correlating with filter reflectivity.
• Significant filter absorption (up to 65%) was observed for specific wavelengths.
• Real-time algorithms demonstrated efficient performance, validated by a density ramp discharge.

Conclusions:

• The MANTIS system is a valuable new diagnostic tool for tokamak research.
• Understanding and mitigating filter-induced artifacts are crucial for accurate plasma imaging.
• The developed real-time capabilities enable advanced analysis of plasma spectral emissions.