Reflectometry applied to the measurement of density profiles on fusion plasmas has been subject to many recent developments. After a brief reminder of the principles of reflectometry, the theoretical accuracy of reflectometry measurements is discussed. The main difficulties limiting the performance, namely the plasma fluctuations and the quality of the transmission lines, are analysed. The different techniques used for reflectometry are then presented grouped into three different categories, depending on the frequency spectrum of the probing wave: single frequency, few discrete frequencies, or broad spectrum. The present status and achievements of actual implementations of these techniques are demonstrated, with an analysis of their respective limitations and merits, as well as foreseen developments. Finally, a discussion of the various reflectometry techniques is made, in particular their ability to cope with plasma fluctuations and complex transmission lines, in view of the application to next step machines and very severe environments.

A collective infraGred laser scattering diagnostic has been installed on the TORE SUPRA tokamak for the measurement of plasma density fluctuations. For the range of wavenumbers explored (3-15cm-'), the scattering angles are very weak (-1 mrad). Consequently, the scattering signals are averaged along the whole observation chord, resulting in poor longitudinal spatial localization. However, by virtue of the pitch angle variation of the magnetic field lines in the tokamak, and of the perpendicularity of the turbulence wavevector to these field lines, it has been possible to obtain partial spatial resolution along the direction of the beam. Good agreement between the experimental and theoretical angular resolution of the diagnostic as well as the results of cross-correlation performed on the signals obtained by two simultaneous probing beams also justiiy this novel concept.From the variation of the fluctuation power with the orientation angle of the observed wavevector, it has been possible to deduce the radial fluctuation profile by a deconvolution procedure, showing that the fluctuations increase sharply near the edge.The k-spectrum was also measured and shows a k-3 dependence for k>6cm-'. Experimental evidences are put foward to show that the k-spectrum is neither purely poloidal nor purely radial in the (k,k,) plane.

The level of density fluctuations is shown to decrease during ergodic divertor operation in Tore Supra. This decrease of the turbulence is correlated with the onset of a temperature pedestal and a local improvement of the confinement. This pedestal is located close to the electric shear layer, i.e. within a narrow region between the plasma core and the ergodic layer. The onset of such a pedestal explains why the central electron temperature is not changed when the ergodic divertor is switched on, in spite of an ergodic zone where the temperature is low