Alcator C-Mod Weekly Highlights
			Nov 18, 2002

The Summer-Fall 2002 C-Mod Experimental Campaign concluded last week.  A total
of over 1300 plasma shots were produced during the campaign, which began in
June. The C-Mod facility is now beginning a Maintenance and Upgrade phase,
which will include a manned-access vent.

Operations
----------

On Tuesday the machine was run in support of thesis research on a new Faraday
rotation prototype diagnostic.  Several discharges and no plasma baseline
shots with magnetic field were produced.  Analysis of these data is ongoing.

The run was stopped early when an interlock indicated a ground fault on the 
toroidal field magnet.  Subsequent measurements confirmed the existence of a
high impedence (>1MOhm) path to ground. We are in the process of determining
the cause of this fault.

The tokamak is presently being warmed up to room temperature, in preparation
for the vent, which will begin this week. Glow discharge cleaning to remove
boron hydride residue from the vessel wall was begun on Friday. 

Lower Hybrid MIE Project
------------------------

Work continued on fiber optic communication links and interface boards for the
lower hybrid control system. The support frame for one dummy load and
circulator has been fit up, and fabrication of the supports for the other two
is in progress. 

Travel and Visitors
-------------------

Most of the C-Mod Physics staff attended the APS Division of Plasma Physics
Meeting in Orlando last week. C-Mod Presentations included two Invited talks,
twelve contributed oral presentations, and twenty-two contributed poster
presentations. 

Amanda Hubbard attended a meeting of the FESAC panel on Fusion Development
Path, held in Orlando on Friday and Saturday. 

Dave Terry, Rick Murray and Charles Schwartz of the C-Mod Engineering Group
visited PPPL and met with Nevell Greenough, Chris Brunkhorst and Elmer Fredd
to discuss their ICRF transmitter operations and new remote controlled
amplitude/phase controllers now under test.  They also met briefly with Doug
Lossier about the LH launcher fabrication and saw some of the work in
progress.