Possibilities of applications of fiber Bragg gratings for thermonuclear fusion technology

The research on harnessing thermonuclear fusion is considered to be important for reaching global energetic safety as the future thermonuclear fusion reactors offer an inexhaustible and CO2 emission free source of electric power. The development of thermonuclear fusion reactors is a great interdisciplinary effort which needs participation of scientists dealing with many fields of physics and engineering. Due to the experimental character of the works (the best example is the effort for the development of ITER - International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) its crucial part is in the design and application of diagnostics operating in harsh thermonuclear environments. Fiber optics and especially fiber Bragg gratings are components which can operate feasibly in both irradiation and electromagnetic interference conditions. This paper is to give a prospect of application of fiber Bragg grating sensors in devices aimed on the research in the thermonuclear fusion field.