Method and means for measuring the anisotropy of a plasma in a magnetic field

Claim 3

The method according to claim 1 wherein said free-free bremsstrahlung radiation polarization measurement comprises collimating said free-free bremsstrahlung radiation in a direction substantially normal to said magnetic field, scattering said free-free bremsstrahlung radiation to provide vector components thereof in a plane parallel to the electric field of said radiation, and measuring said vector components to provide a measure of anisotropy of said plasma.

Claim 4

The method according to claim 2 wherein said vector component measuring comprises detecting vector components parallel to said magnetic field and detecting vector components normal to said magnetic field, which detected components are a measure of anisotropy of said plasma.

Claim 5

The method according to claim 2 wherein said vector component measurement comprises counting over a predetermined interval the vector components at discrete energy levels of said free-free bremsstrahlung parallel to said magnetic field, counting over a like predetermined time interval the vector components at like discrete energy levels of said free-free bremsstrahlung normal to said magnetic field, and combining like-energy-level vector-component counts to provide a degree of polarization A for said free-free bremsstrahlung according to A (J11 - J1/J11 + J1), where J11 number of vector component at a particular energy level parallel to said magnetic field, J1 number of vector component at said particular energy level of J11 normal to said magnetic field, which degree of polarization is a measure of anisotropy of said plasma.

Claim 6

The method according to claim 4 wherein said vector component counts are effected simultaneously over like time intervals.

Claim 9

The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said collimating means comprise an evacuated first hollow member extending from said plasma in a direction essentially normal to said magnetic field and providing pinhole access to said plasma, and a second hollow member providing access to said plasma on the opposite side thereof relatIve said first hollow member and aligned with said first member.

Claim 10

The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said vector-component resolving means comprise a scattering material positioned to intercept said collimated free-free bremsstrahlung radiation and resolve in a direction normal to the electric field of said radiation the vector components of said radiation.

Claim 11

The apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said vector component measuring means comprise scintillation-counter means positioned to detect from said scattering material said vector components parallel and normal to said magnetic field, means for summing during a predetermined time interval said vector-components having like energy levels and being parallel to said magnetic field, means for summing during a like predetermined time interval said vector components having like energy levels and being normal to said magnetic field, and means for combining said vector component summations according to A (J11 - J1 J11 + J1), where A the degree of polarization of said free-free bremsstrahlung radiation, J11 said vector component summation parallel to said magnetic field at a particular energy level, J1 said vector component summation normal to said magnetic field at a particular energy level, said degree of polarization being a measure of the anisotropy of said plasma.

Claim 12

The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said collimating means, intercepting means and vector component measuring means comprise an evacuated hollow first member mounted normal to said magnetic field and providing pinhole access to said plasma at a constant value region of said magnetic field to collimate said free-free bremsstrahlung radiation, a hollow second member mounted on the opposing side of said plasma providing access thereto and aligned with said first member, a scattering material mounted to intercept said collimated free-free bremsstrahlung radiation and resolve said radiation into the vector components thereof in a plane parallel to the electric field of said bremsstrahlung radiation, scintillation-counter means positioned to detect from said scattering material said vector components parallel and normal to said magnetic field, summing means electrically connected to said scintillation counter means during a predetermined time interval to sum like-energy-vector-components parallel to said magnetic field and to sum like-energy-vector-components normal to said magnetic field, and means for combining said like-energy summed vector components according to A (J11 - J1 J11 + J1), where A the degree of polarization of said free-free bremsstrahlung radiation level, J11 said summed vector components at said particular energy level parallel to said magnetic field, J1 said summed vector components at said particular energy level normal to said magnetic field, said degree of polarization being a measure of the anisotropy of said plasma.