title: A pulse-burst laser system for a high-repetition-rate Thomson scattering diagnostic.
abstract: A "pulse-burst" laser system is being constructed for addition to the Thomson scattering diagnostic on the Madison Symmetric Torus (MST) reversed-field pinch. This laser is designed to produce a burst of up to 200 approximately 1 J Q-switched pulses at repetition frequencies 5-250 kHz. This laser system will operate at 1064 nm and is a master oscillator, power amplifier. The master oscillator is a compact diode-pumped Nd:YVO(4) laser, intermediate amplifier stages are flashlamp-pumped Nd:YAG, and final stages will be flashlamp-pumped Nd:glass (silicate). Variable pulse width drive (0.3-20 ms) of the flashlamps is accomplished by insulated-gate bipolar transistor switching of large electrolytic capacitor banks. The burst train of laser pulses will enable the study of electron temperature (T(e)) and electron density (n(e)) dynamics in a single MST shot, and with ensembling, will enable correlation of T(e) and n(e) fluctuations with other fluctuating quantities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Center for Magnetic Self-Organization in Laboratory and Astrophysical Plasmas, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Den Hartog
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Lempert