An internal polarized 3He target for electron storage rings

We describe an internal polarized 3He target currently under construction which will be used in several electron storage ring experiments. The target is based on the technique of metastability exchange laser optical pumping, where the polarized atoms flow into a cryogenically-cooled storage cell. This novel technique allows for high precision measurements where the beam interacts with the pure atomic species. Both the HERMES experiment at DESY and the BLAST detector at the MIT Bates Laboratory will use the polarized 3He target in their measurements. Details of the target system, including the provisions needed to incorporate the target into the electron storage ring, are presented. (orig.)