6 December, 12.30 pm. Today, the electrons have been stored for the first time, in the new Extremely Brilliant Source (EBS) storage ring.

Today, 6 December 12:30 pm was a great and intense moment for all the ESRF teams: the electrons have been stored for the first time in the new EBS storage ring, only five days after the start of the EBS storage ring commissioning. This is a new key milestone on the way to opening to the international scientific community the first high-energy fourth-generation synchrotron light source, known as EBS - Extremely Brilliant Source.

" Seeing the first beam stored only five days after the start of the commissioning is a huge achievement and an intense moment for all involved. EBS is becoming a reality." said Pantaleo Raimondi, ESRF accelerator and source director and EBS storage ring concept inventor and project leader.

"This is a key milestone in the EBS project, and proof of the outstanding expertise, dedication and involvement of the ESRF staff, who have been working tirelessly on the EBS conception and implementation since its launch in 2015. The adventure has started." added Francesco Sette, ESRF director general. "It was also a day of pride for the whole synchrotron community, as this innovative project, based on the principle of international cooperation, aims to serve the world's synchrotron scientists and users."

Following the achievement of the first beam stored, the team will work hard over the next few weeks to optimise the parameters of the beam, ramp up the current and use the beam to condition the storage ring vacuum system.

The next steps are the following:

storage ring commissioning to obtain the beam parameters required to restart the experimental programme by 2 March 2020,

further storage ring commissioning and experimental programme restart from 2 March to 24 August 2020,

resumption of the User Service Mode on 25 August 2020.

Below are some pictures taken in the Control Room today at 12.30, with Pantaleo Raimondi, Accelerator Division Director and his team, today, checking the first stored beam.