The HERA straight sections

An updated description of the HERA straight sections for head-on collisions is presented. The electrons and protons are separated in combined function and bending magnets in the electron low beta insert. Synchrotron radiation emitted in the separator will be collimated and absorbed in such a way that photon backgrounds in the HERA detectors become rolerable. The magnets in the proton low beta insert will be normalconducting. The spin mini rotator scheme will be used to achieve longitudinal electron beam polarization. The optical flexibility of both HERA rings allows us to have a spin-transparent electron optics and a special proton injection optics which after energy ramping will be tuned to the low beta luminosity optics. The maximum luminosity as limited by the beam-beam forces is expected to be 2.5x1031 cm -2sec-1. In HERA stage 1 a special straignt section without interaction will be installed in the West area to improve the conditions for proton injection and the beam abort system