Electrons have made their way around the new Advanced Photon Source (APS) storage ring for the first time, a major milestone in the process of bringing the newly upgraded APS into operation.
On April 13, 2024, members of the Accelerator Systems Division (ASD) injected an electron bunch into the new storage ring and confirmed that it traveled the full circumference. Electron bunches injected on April 14, 2024 have now circulated more than a dozen times. This is not only a first, but an important step for the new machine, as the smallest obstruction, misalignment or power supply oscillation (for example) can affect the trajectory of an electron beam. With such a low-emittance beam, even miniscule changes such as these would be detrimental.
Read more on APS website
Image: Plot from the APS accelerator logs signifying first turns of electrons in the new storage ring.