The Completion of SPEAR 3

On December 15, 2003, 8 1/2 months after the last electrons circulated in the old SPEAR2 storage ring and 5 days after the beginning of commissioning, the first electrons were accumulated in the completely new SPEAR 3 ring. By January 22, the first 100-mA beam was stored, preparing the path for delivering beam to users in early March of this year. The rapid installation and commissioning are a testimony to the SPEAR 3 project staff and collaborators who have built an excellent machine and equipped it with powerful and accessible machine modeling and control programs. The final year of component fabrication, the 7-month installation period, and present-day SPEAR 3 operation are described