Diagnostics & Measurement
Magnetic Diagnostics
Coils around the plasma that measure its current, position and shape.
Simple pickup coils and flux loops around the vessel sense the plasma's magnetic field, from which its current, position and shape are reconstructed in real time. They are the backbone of plasma control.
Common questions
What do magnetic diagnostics measure?
The magnetic field and its rate of change around the plasma, feeding the real-time reconstruction of plasma position, shape and current the control system acts on.
Why are they the backbone?
Because they are fast, robust and reliable — the primary measurement underpinning equilibrium control on any tokamak.