Microwave Interferometer Measurements for the Determination of Plasma Density Profiles in Controlled Fusion Experiments

A method for determining the spatial distribution in density of a plasma has been outlined in a previous paper. The method involves measuring the dispersive microwave propagation coefficients simultaneously at several frequencies and comparing the measured values with the values calculated for various distribution functions. The present paper demonstrates experimental verification of the method and describes the procedure used to determine the distribution function in a sample laboratory plasma experiment.