The electron stretcher accelerator ELSA

The electron stretcher accelerator, ELSA, provides unpolarized and polarized electron beams at energies between 0.5 and 3.5 GeV at high duty factor up to 99%. ELSA partly can serve also as a synchrotron radiation source in the vacuum ultra violet and X-ray region. ELSA is a circular accelerator of 165 m circumference. The Bonn 2.5 GeV Electron Synchrotron, which came into operation in 1967, is used as injector. To achieve the above-mentioned features, ELSA is operated in three different modes. 'Stretcher mode' is used at energies between 0.5 and 2.0 GeV. For a beam energy above 2.0 GeV, ELSA is operated in the 'post acceleration mode'. Where it is operated as a dedicated 'synchrotron radiation source', electrons are accumulated up to a limit of about 50 mA at 3.5 GeV. Dipole fields to obtain a closed orbit and quadrupole fields to get beam focusing are realized with help of two kinds of magnets, namely dipoles and quadrupoles. This structure provides radiation damping of the horizontal betatron oscillation needed for bean storage. It also allows a wade range variation of the optical working point of the machine. The ring contains 12 sextupoles, in addition to 32 quadrupoles and 24 dipoles, for correction of the optics and for extraction purposes. (N.K.)