SID: An automated diagnostic inserter system for inertial confinement fusion experiments (abstract)

In order to provide an accurate, repeatable reentrant plasma diagnostic support, an in-vacuum automated robotic diagnostic inserter (SID) was designed, built, and tested for the Phebus French laser facility. The SID system allows us to change quickly and accurately a diagnostic required for a new experiment. The other advantage of this new system is that the detector can be placed closer to the plasma (<0.5 m) and consequently the sensitivity of the corresponding diagnostic to x-ray photons or neutrons is increased. That permits more accurate measurements in present inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments (larger magnification ratio imaging systems with better spectral resolution). The SID has three major components: (i) a mobile platform which carries the diagnostic itself, (ii) a vacuum chamber, and (iii) an accurate mechanical guide system inside the target chamber. The repeatability of the diagnostic repositioning is at least ±10 μm over a travel range of 220 mm. Two main diagnostics are today in operation: a time grated x-ray imaging system and a high resolution crystal spectrograph. A detailed description of the main features of our SID and of two experimental results (implosion core formation imaging and spectra of x-ray argon filled microballoon) will be presented.