Potential performance and challenges of an energy recovery linac upgrade to the Advanced Photon Source

The Advanced Photon Source (APS) is a third-generation synchrotron radiation source operating at 7 GeV that has been in operation for over 10 years. In that time, the emittance has been improved from 8 to 3.1 nm, which is close to the practical minimum. Recently, APS undertook an intensive exploration of potential upgrades, including options for a replacement storage ring or Energy Recovery Linac (ERL) injector. Our conclusion was that only the ERL would provide a dramatically new capability. This paper discusses the potential performance available from an ERL upgrade to the APS and reviews the challenges of delivering this performance.