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CEBAF

The principal recommendation of each of the Long Range Plans that have been developed for nuclear science involved the need for multiple, high-intensity, multi-GeV electron beams that have the high duty factor necessary for high-rate coincidence experiments. In response to these recommendations, construction of CEBAF was begun in 1987; it is now essentially complete. Commissioning activities began at CEBAF in 1994 and the accelerator delivered its first beam to an experimental area last summer. The accelerator has already delivered 2.1 GeV beams; it is expected to reach its full 4 GeV design energy during this long range planning exercise, and soon thereafter it will be providing three, simultaneous, 100%duty factor electron and polarized electron beams of unprecedented quality for a broad-ranging program investigating nuclear and nucleon structure.

The experimental equipment for the three end stations at CEBAF is in the final stages of assembly. The HMS spectrometer in Hall C has already achieved its design specifications and the complementary SOS spectrometer will begin operation shortly. The high resolution spectrometer pair in Hall A will begin commissioning activities at the end of 1995, and the CLAS detector in Hall B is scheduled to begin operations in the Fall of 1996. After years of planning, design, and construction activity, we are finally in a position to begin the research program that motivated the tremendous investment that has been made in this facility. 1,479 days of physics experiments proposed by 513 scientists from 114 institutions and 21 countries are waiting for full operation of CEBAF.


cardman@cebaf.gov