Realization, operation and results of the multichannel far-infrared polarimeter on RFX

This paper illustrates the realisation and testing of the multichannel far- infrared polarimeter for the RFX machine, a plasma confinement experiment w ith the Reversed Field Pinch configuration. The diagnostic is described and the its main sections are outlined: the las er system operating at lambda = 118.8 mu m, the FIR optical line, the beam splitter and the beam detection units, the signal processing electronics an d the motion electronics for the calibration halfwave plates. Emphasis is p laced on the work performed on the polarimeter to make it operational. We illustrate the preliminary tests of the diagnostic equipment and the act ivity performed to bring the diagnostic into reliable operation, in particu lar the reduction of the noise produced by magnetically induced mechanical vibrations during machine shots. An example of the first Faraday angle measurements performed on five chords are presented and discussed. The measured Faraday angle was also compared to a theoretically calculated value, based on a simple plasma model, with s atisfactory agreement between measured and predicted data.