Simulating the JET ITER-like antenna circuit

A set of simulation/interpretation tools based on transmission line theory and on the RF model developed by M. Vrancken [2] has been developed to study the ITER-like Antenna (ILA) at JET. For given tuning element settings, the unique solution of the equations governing the ILA circuit requires solving a system of coupled linear equations relating the voltages and currents at the antenna straps and other key locations. This computation allows cross-checking predicted values against measured experimental ones. Further more, a minimization procedure allows improving the correspondence with the quantities measured in the circuit during shots, thus coping with unavoidable errors arising from uncertainties in the measurements or from inaccuracies in the adopted RF model. Typical applications are e.g. fine-tuning of the second-stage of the ILA circuit for increased ELM-resilience, cross-checking the calibration of the measurements throughout the circuit and predicting the antenna performance and matching conditions in new plasma scenarios.