WORKERS SURVEY THE SLC DAMPING RING, WHICH WILL REDUCE THE SIZE OF THE PARTICLE BEAM FOR USE IN THE COLLIDER PROJECT.

IN THE SLC, TWO BEAMS OF ELECTRONS AND POSITRONS WILL BE INTENSIFIED TO ALMOST 50 BILLION ELECTRON VOLTS (GEV) IN A LINEAR ACCELERATOR BEFORE THEY ARE SEPARATED, CHANNELED IN TO ONE OF TWO COLLIDER ARCS, AND DIRECTED TO A COLLISION POINT.PRECISE CONTROL OF THE BEAMS IS ESSENTIAL TO THE SUCCESS OF THE PROJECT, BECAUSE THEY MUST BE ULTIMATELY FOCUSED DOWN TO SMALL POINTS ABOUT TWO MICRONS IN DIAMETER (LESS THAN ONE TENTH THE DIAMETER OF A HUMAN HAIR). THE DAMPING RING, A SMALL CIRCULAR ELECTRON MACHINE, WILL HELP ESTABLISH SUCH CONTROL. AS A BEAM CIRCULATES IN THE RING, SYNCHROTRON RADIATION CAUSES IT TO SHRINK. THERE WILL BE TWO SUCH RINGS, ONE FOR EACH BEAM, LOCATED AT THE INJECTOR END OF THE ACCELERATOR. THE SLC PROJECT WILL ALLOW RESEARCHERS TO PROBE MORE DEEPLY INTO THE NATURE OF SUBATOMIC PARTICLES AND FORCES. FIRST OPERATION IS EXPECTED IN LATE 1986.