The team assembling the new electron storage ring for the Advanced Photon Source (APS) has achieved a significant milestone with the completion of their 100th module. The new storage ring, which will be installed as part of the APS Upgrade project, will be made up of 200 modules, each one containing several powerful electromagnets (each carefully aligned with one another), a complex vacuum system and various electrical and cooling systems.

The year-long shutdown of the APS has begun, during which the original storage ring will be removed and the new one installed. Nearly all of the modules have been partially assembled in the APS Upgrade’s offsite facility, and the team is working to complete full assembly in the coming months.

“Everyone here is working very hard to accomplish our goal,” said Jeremy Nudell, lead mechanical engineer with the APS Upgrade. “Reaching the milestone of 100 completed modules is worth celebrating, as we keep moving toward the finish line.” 

A finished storage ring module is the product of the efforts of many groups across the project, including magnet, vacuum, power supply, support, diagnostic and alignment teams to name a few. All have provided components and studies that enable the final products to be assembled and completed.

The new storage ring will increase the brightness of the APS X-ray beams by up to 500 times and enable scientific discoveries at scales currently unattainable with X-rays. For more on the upgrade, visit the project website.