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Going Nuclear: Notes from the officially unofficial book tour
I work in the analytical labs at one of Europe’s oldest and largest nuclear sites: Sellafield, in northwestern England. I spend my days at the fume hood front, pipette in one hand and radiation probe in the other (and dosimeter pinned to my chest, of course). Outside the lab, I have a second job: I moonlight as a writer and public speaker. My new popular science book—Going Nuclear: How the Atom Will Save the World—came out last summer, and it feels like my life has been running at full power ever since.
D. M. Thomas, G. R. McKee, K. H. Burrell, F. Levinton, E. L. Foley, R. K. Fisher
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 53 | Number 2 | February 2008 | Pages 487-527
Technical Paper | Plasma Diagnostics for Magnetic Fusion Research | doi.org/10.13182/FST08-A1678
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In this chapter we discuss the various diagnostic techniques in which active spectroscopy plays a role. The use of an injected neutral beam - either a dedicated diagnostic beam or the main heating beams - to localize and enhance the spectroscopic measurements described in Chap. 5 has been exploited for a number of key physics measurements, in particular detailed profile information on ion parameters, the radial electric field, plasma current density, and turbulent transport. The ability to make these detailed measurements has been a key element in the development of improved plasma performance. The neutral beam techniques have been extended by the use of such beam analogs as laser beams, gas puffs, and pellet injection for specific measurements. In each case we describe the general principle behind the measurement and include several successful examples of their implementation, briefly touching on some of the more important physics results. We conclude with a few remarks about the relevance and requirements of active spectroscopic techniques for future burning plasma experiments.