Tag: storage ring

Shine on: Upgraded APS sees first X-ray light for science

Shine on: Upgraded APS sees first X-ray light for science

A new era of scientific discovery is ready to begin at the Advanced Photon Source as the first scientific beamline receives photons

After a year of installation and commissioning, the new electron storage ring at the heart of the Advanced Photon Source — powered by a world’s first injection technique — is ready for business.

A new era of science at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) is ready to begin. On June 17, 2024, the facility at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory delivered its first X-ray light beams to a scientific beamline as part of a comprehensive and complex upgrade.

The APS, a DOE Office of Science user facility, has been a leading destination for X-ray science for nearly 30 years. Scientists from around the world use its ultrabright X-ray beams to learn more about our universe and lay the groundwork for longer-lasting batteries, more efficient solar cells and tougher materials for roads and bridges, to name a few. For the past year, operations have been paused at the facility while the original storage ring, which generates the X-ray beams, was removed and a brand-new ring installed.

Read more on the APS website

Image: Mohan Ramanathan, associate project manager of the APS Upgrade, opens the shutter at the 27-ID beamline, letting in light for the first time since the facility paused operations in April 2023

Credit: Jason Creps/Argonne National Laboratory

First electrons circulation in the new APS storage ring

First electrons circulation in the new APS storage ring

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.

Commissioning of new APS storage ring begins

Commissioning of new APS storage ring begins

The Advanced Photon Source (APS) Upgrade project officially moved into a new phase today, as commissioning of the new storage ring began.

The start of commissioning follows a successful Accelerator Readiness Review (ARR) conducted from March 25-28, and the subsequent approval from the DOE Argonne Site Office. It marks a major milestone in the upgrade project and a big step toward bringing the rejuvenated APS facility to life. 

The upgrade of the APS has been in the planning stages for a decade. Over the past year, the team has removed the original storage ring and assembled not just the 200 modules of the new one, but literally thousands of associated components and systems in its place, followed by a thorough test and checkout of the new systems. The new electron storage ring has been designed to generate X-ray beams that will be up to 500 times brighter than those of the original APS.

Read more on APS website