Jefferson Lab, a Status Report

Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab; formerly known as CEBAF), operates a 4 GeV, 200 PA continuous wave (CW) electron accelerator that re-circulates the beam five times through two superconducting 400 MeV linacs. Electrons can be extracted from any of the five recirculation passes and beam can be simultaneously delivered to the three experimental halls. As the commissioning stage nears completion, the accelerator is becoming a fully operational machine. Experiments in Hall C have been underway since November 1995 with beam powers of over 300 kW at various energies. Hall A has received beam for spectrometer commissioning, while Hall B is expected to receive its first beam in the fall of 1996. Accelerator availability of greater than 70% during physics runs and excellent beam quality have contributed to making Jefferson Lab a world class laboratory for accelerator-based electromagnetic nuclear physics. With the high performance of the superconducting RF cavities, machine upgrades to 6 GeV, and eventually 8 to 10 GeV are now in the planning stages. Operational and commissioning details concerning all aspects of the machine will be discussed.