lagringsringen

Lagringsringen, or the storage ring, is a type of circular particle accelerator in which charged particles are kept circulating for extended periods by magnetic fields. The primary purpose is to provide a stable, long‑lived beam for experiments or to produce synchrotron radiation for research. In operation, the beam is guided around a closed lattice of dipole magnets that bend the path, quadrupole magnets that focus the beam, and higher‑order magnets that correct the beam shape. As electrons traverse the ring they emit synchrotron radiation, causing energy loss that must be replenished by radio frequency cavities synchronized to the beam. A high‑quality vacuum and precise beam instrumentation are required to minimize scattering and instabilities and to monitor orbit, current, and emittance.

Storage rings may be dedicated to producing light (electron storage rings used as synchrotron light sources), or designed as colliders with two counter‑circulating beams that collide at interaction points. Notable facilities include electron storage rings such as ESRF and PETRA III, and historic colliders such as LEP at CERN and HERA at DESY. Protons and heavy ions can also be stored for experiments or for delaying storage in multi‑ring accelerators.

Applications range from X‑ray imaging and spectroscopy in materials science, biology and chemistry to fundamental physics research, including particle‑beam experiments and synchrotron radiation research. The technology underpins many modern light sources and collider programs, shaping current high‑energy and photon science.