Estimation of the Effective Magnet Misalignments of the ALS Storage Ring

New storage ring lattices have traditionally been commissioned using a trial-and-error approach, where the number of turns circulated is slowly built up until enough beam is stored to correct the orbit. We have found that by combining the calculated response matrix of magnet misalignments from a linear model of a new lattice with the measured steering magnet response matrix used during normal operations, it is possible to make an educated guess for the steering magnet settings that will immediately allow beam circulation in the new lattice. "Effective" magnet misalignments are simply those that are sufficiently close to the real misalignments to make the first guess good enough to circulate beam; the relationship between effective and real magnet misalignments is also discussed in the paper. This predictive steering method makes the process of establishing enough circulating beam for SVD-based orbit correction in a new lattice very efficient.