Images of plasma disruption effects in the tokamak fusion test reactor

Fast-framing imaging of visible radiation from magnetically confined plasmas has lately become a useful tool for both machine operation and physics studies. Using an intensified, commercial Kodak Ektapro imaging system, the effects of a plasma disruption were observed in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR). The high-energy 'runaway' electrons created soon after the disruption collide with the plasma facing components damaging this surface and producing a shower of debris that traverses the toroidal vessel and 'falls' over the inner bumper limiter. Index Terms - Digital systems, magnetic confinement, optical imaging, plasmas, tokamaks.