Abstract
A feasibility study for a new edge main ion charge exchange recombination spectroscopy (CXRS) system at the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak has been carried out. This diagnostic uses the new edge fast-ion Dα (FIDA) spectrometers and the optical heads of the existing edge CXRS systems. Standard CXRS resolved temperature and rotation profiles rely on the observation of impurity emission lines. The complexity of the photoemission processes and the fact that the measured ions represent the majority bulk plasma ions (here deuterium) make the interpretation of the main ion spectra in comparison more challenging. At the plasma edge, the diagnostic capabilities in terms of temporal and spatial resolution are extremely demanding. The difficulties in the interpretation of the main ion spectra are overcome by comprehensive fitting and forward modelling of the beam halo (which introduces a major challenge) using a collisional radiative model, as described in [1]. In this work, the diagnostic set up and the sensitivity of the main ion spectra to changes in plasma parameters have been characterized. The tools and techniques necessary for a correct interpretation of the spectra are also discussed. In addition to the halo effect, corrections due to atomic physics effects which could affect the splitting and broadening of the spectral Dα line and lead to misinterpretation of the spectra are evaluated. The first measurements of the edge main ion diagnostic are also presented.