Research and development of imaging bolometers

Peterson, B. J.*; Konoshima, Shigeru; Kostryukov, A. Y.*; Seo, D. C.*; Liu, Y.*; Miroshnikov, I. V.*; Ashikawa, Naoko*; Parchamy, H.*; Kawashima, Hisato; Iwama, Naofumi*; Kaneko, Masashi*; LHD Team*; JT-60U Team

An overview of the research and development of imaging bolometers giving a perspective on the applicability of this diagnostic to a fusion reactor is presented. Traditionally the total power lost from a high temperature has been measured using one dimensional arrays of resistive bolometers. The large number of signal wires associated with these resistive bolometers poses hazards not only at the vacuum interface, but also in the loss of electrical contacts that has been observed in the presence of fusion reactor levels of neutron flux. Infrared imaging video bolometers (IRVB), on the other hand, use the infrared radiation from the absorbing metal foil to transfer the signal through the vacuum interface and out from behind a neutron shield. The IRVB can provide hundreds of channels of bolometric signal in an image of the plasma radiation. Recently a prototype IRVB has been deployed on the JT-60U tokamak which demonstrates the ability of this diagnostic to operate in a reactor environment.