First light from the novel Thomson scattering diagnostics in the divertor of ASDEX Upgrade

After several years of planning and construction, the new diagnostics at ASDEX Upgrade provided data for the first time for plasma discharge #36597.

In Thomson scattering, the free electrons of the plasma are illuminated by a very intense laser beam, and then the very weak light scattered by the electrons is observed. This posed a particular diagnostic challenge. The measurements will significantly contribute to a better understanding of the dynamics in the divertor and help to optimize the power deposition in the divertor. Important phenomena such as areas of very high density outside or particularly low temperature inside the confinement region can thus be examined for their physical origin.