Observations and analysis of FTU plasmas by video cameras

The interaction of the FTU plasma with the vessel walls and with the limiters is responsible for the release of hydrogen and impurities through various physical mechanisms (physical and chemical sputtering, desorption, etc.). In the cold plasma periphery, these particles are weakly ionised and emit mainly in the visible spectral range. A good description of plasma periphery can then be obtained by use of video cameras. In FTU small size video cameras, placed close to the plasma edge, give wide-angle images of the plasma at a standard rate of 25 frames/s. Images are stored digitally, allowing their retrieval and analysis. This paper reports some of the most interesting features of the discharges evidenced by the images. As a first example, the accumulation of cold neutral gas in the plasma periphery above a density threshold (a phenomenon known as Marfe) can be seen on the video images as a toroidally symmetric band oscillating poloidally; on the multi-chord spectroscopy or bolometer channels, this appears only as a sudden rise of the signals whose overall behaviour could not be clearly interpreted. A second example is the identification of runaway discharges by the signature of the fast electrons emitting synchrotron radiation in their motion direction; this appears as a bean shaped bright spot on one toroidal side, which reverts according to plasma current direction. A relevant side effect of plasma discharges, as potentially dangerous, is the formation of dust as a consequence of some strong plasma–wall interaction event; video images allow monitoring and possibly estimating numerically the amount of dust, which can be produced in these events. Specialised software can automatically search experimental database identifying relevant events, partly overcoming the difficulties associated with the very large amount of data produced by video techniques.