A Survey of Plasma Diagnostic Techniques

This brief review provides an indication of the types of diagnostics that are used to study high temperature plasma. No attempt has been made to provide an exhaustive survey or to describe the many subtle and sophisticated variations that are employed. The basic plasma parameters that one would like to measure have been indicated and it has been pointed out that the diagnostic techniques can be classified into four categories: passive electromagnetic, passive particle, active electromagnetic, and active particle. Our ability to create and control high temperature, high density plasmas, has increased tremendously over the past 25 years. This has been due, at least in part, to the development of increasingly sophisticated diagnostic techniques that have provided more detailed information on the plasma behavior. There is still a need for new or improved diagnostics, especially for diagnostics that will provide spatially resolved, time continuous measurements.