Alcator C-Mod Weekly Highlights
				Nov. 24, 1997

Last week was a maintenance week at Alcator C-Mod. No runs were scheduled. 
Repair work on the MIT Alternator continued, and most of the physics staff
attended the APS Division of Plasma Physics Meeting in Pittsburgh. 

Reassembly of the alternator is continuing on schedule. The field (rotor) was
installed in the stator on Friday. Both field and stator windings were
successfully hi-pot tested following the installation. We anticipate
resumption of operations in mid-December. 

The power systems group is working on a monitor system for the rotor ground
current. Tests continued on the cabinet #1 TF current feedback circuit; no
fault has been identified. A replacement fiber optic link for the TF current 
feedback was assembled on the bench for testing. 

The RF Group has completed manufacture, adjustment and installation of arc
detectors in FMIT transmitters #1 and 2. The HV power supply for FMIT#4 had
been tested and declared operational.  Fast fiber-optic analog links for real
time RF tuning had been repaired and installed.

Clean-up of the ventillation system and replacement of ceiling tiles in the
C-Mod control room was completed. The C-Mod computer cluster was brought back
up on Friday. All CAMAC highways were tested and are operational. 
Communications to the hybrid plasma control system checked out successfully.

Progress on the DNB system continued primarily in the areas of beam
monitoring and power supplies.  The cable support spine was installed in
the high voltage, low capacitance transmission line between the power
supplies and the test lab.  The cabling for the source filaments, the
source arc, and the snubbers was installed on the spine and connected to
the snubber assembly in the test lab.  The detailed design for the fast
isolation amplifier required for secondary emission measurements (beam
profile monitoring) was completed, and assembly of the isolation system for
both secondary emission and thermocouple measurements was begun.  The parts
for the controller for the oil conditioning system to be used for
commissioning the accelerator supply were collected and partially
assembled.  Assembly of the hardware for the crowbar that will protect the
DNB Mod/Reg tube continued.

In an evening meeting at APS, the active spectroscopic diagnostics for the
DNB and the DNB status were reviewed.  Attending were responsible and
interested staff from MIT, PPPL, and UT-FRC.

Most of the physicists were at the APS-DPP meeting in Pittsburgh last
week. The C-Mod Group presented two invited oral talks, nine contributed orals
and thirty-two posters. Abstracts can be found on the Web at
http://www.pfc.mit.edu/aps97/abstracts.html

Also during the APS meeting, the PSFC participated in the 1997 Science
Teacher's Day Activies and the Plasma Sciences Expo. Ian Hutchinson gave an
overview on Magnetic Confinement to approximately 60 teachers.  Mr. Magnet
made presentations at 2 local elementary schools and also participated in the
Expo.  The expo was a great success, attracting an estimated 900 students from
the Pittsburgh area.