AST 555 Plasma Diagnostics
(Spring 2026)
- Instructors:
- Phone:
(609)243-2162 (PPPL)
- Office:
Rm L222 at PPPL/Rm 207 at Peyton
- Office
hours: by appointment
- Professor
Yevgeny Raitses
- Email:
yraitse@princeton.edu
- Phone:
(609)243-2268 (PPPL)
- Office:
Rm L239 at PPPL
- Office
hours: by appointment
- Professor
Laura Berzak Hopkins
- Email:
berzhop@princeton.edu
- Phone:
(609)243-2086
- Office:
Rm LSB 348 at PPPL
- Office
hours: by appointment
- Teaching
Assistant:
- Office:
LSB Annex at PPPL
- Office
hours: by appointment
-
Class schedules (subject to change; please
check back often).
- Week
1:
lectures on Jan.
26
(HJ), Jan. 28 (HJ), and Jan.
30 (HJ)
- Week
2:
lectures on Feb. 2 (HJ) and Feb. 4 (HJ).
- Week
3:
lectures on Feb. 9 (LBH) and Feb. 11 (LBH).
- Week
4:
lectures on Feb. 16 (YR) and Feb.
18 (YR).
- Week
5:
lectures on Feb. 23 (YR) and Feb. 25 (YR).
- Week
6:
lectures on Mar. 2 (YR) and Mar.
4 (YR), mid-term exam on Friday Mar. 6 at
1:00 pm - 2:20 pm.
- Spring
break
(Mar. 7 – Mar. 15)
- Week
7: lectures on Mar. 16 (HJ) and Mar. 18 (HJ).
- Week
8: lectures on Mar. 23 (HJ) and Mar. 27
(HJ).
- Week
9: lectures on Mar. 30 (HJ) and Apr. 1 (HJ).
- Week
10: lectures on Apr. 6 (LBH),
Apr. 8 (LBH), and Apr. 10 (HJ).
- Week
11: lectures on Apr. 13 (HJ),
Apr. 15 (HJ), and Apr. 17 (HJ).
- Week
12: lectures on Apr.
20 (HJ) and Apr.
22 (HJ).
- Reading
period (April 27 - May 5)
- Final
exam on Wednesday May 13 at 1:00
pm - 2:20 pm.
Description
Introduction to plasma diagnostics methods, including those used to
measure high-temperature plasmas for fusion in both magnetic and inertial
confinement systems. Also included are measurement methods used in
low-temperature plasmas for industrial applications, in space and solar
plasmas (or heliophysics), and astrophysical plasmas (or astronomy).
Example plasma diagnostic techniques are magnetic measurements, Langmuir
probes, microwave techniques, spectroscopic techniques, electron cyclotron
emission, Thomson scattering, neutron measurements. Vacuum technology and
associated diagnostics will be also introduced.
Lectures
- Introduction
and overview (HJ)
- MFE
and magnetized experiments (HJ)
- Space,
solar and astrophysical plasmas (HJ)
- IFE
and high-energy-density experiments (LBH)
- Low-temperature
plasmas (YR)
- Vacuum
technology (YR)
- Langmuir
probe and energy analyzer (YR)
- Laser-induced
fluorescence for LTP (YR)
- Magnetic
diagnostics (HJ)
- Refraction
index (HJ)
- Cyclotron
and Bremsstrahlung radiation (HJ)
- Line
radiation (HJ, LBH)
- Proton
radiography (LBH)
- Thomson
scattering (HJ)
- Neutral
particles (HJ)
- Nuclear
diagnostics (HJ)
Grade
evaluation
- Class
attendance: 10%
- Homework:
30%
- Midterm
exam (written): 30%
- Final
exam (written): 30%
Textbooks/References
- Hutchinson,
Principles of Plasma Diagnostics
(2nd ed.) (Cambridge University Press, 2002)
- Wesson,
Tokamaks (4th ed.) (Oxford
University Press, 2011).
- Lieberman
and Lichtenberg, Principles of
plasma discharge and material processing (2nd ed.) (Wiley
Interscience, 2005)
- Stangeby,
The Plasma Boundary of Magnetic
Fusion Devices (Series in Plasma Physics) (CRC Press, 2000)
- Lindl,
Development of the indirect-drive
approach to inertial confinement fusion and the target physics
basis for ignition and gain, Physics of Plasmas 2,
3933-4024 (1995). (link)
- Kilkenny
et al., A retrospective on
ICF/HED diagnostics development effort, National
Diagnostics Working Group (NDWG) for inertial confinement fusion
(ICF)/high-energy-density (HED) science: The whole exceeds the sum
of its parts. (link)
- Batha,
Introduction to the special topic
on inertial confinement fusion diagnostics, Rev. Sci.
Instrum. 95, 010401 (2024). (link)