Aum Trivedi, BS (Honours) in Physics, Class of 2024

Supervisor: Professor Pankaj Joshi, School of Arts and Sciences

Thesis Brief

The measurement of plasma current is one of the critical parameters in characterising plasma and understanding its behaviour. Conventionally, the Rogowski coil is used to measure plasma current. The problem with this approach arises when long, steady-state plasma shots are conducted. Due to the usage of integrators, drift is generated in the output signal. A diagnostic system, Magneto-Optic Current Sensor (MOCS), has been developed and commissioned on the Aditya-Upgrade tokamak for plasma current measurements. The MOCS is an optical diagnostic technique based on the Faraday rotation effect within a single-mode optical fibre (SMF), offering a supplementary measurement approach to the conventional Rogowski coil method. This technique possesses advantages over traditional current measurement techniques, leading to a potential measurement diagnostic tool for future fusion devices and steady-state tokamak devices.