Facility · Synchrotrons
ESRF – Extremely Brilliant Source (EBS)
High-energy fourth-generation storage ring (6 GeV, 844 m, emittance 130 pm·rad)
- Status
- Operating
- Location
- Grenoble, France
- Operator
- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (international organisation)
- Next
- Feb 2027 (end) ID24-ED leaves the user programme (budget cut of €5 million a year)
Summary
The first high-energy fourth-generation synchrotron: 6 GeV, a circumference of 843.977 m, emittance 130/10 pm·rad (horizontal/vertical) (parameters). The EBS upgrade ran from 2015 to 2022 and cost €150 million; users have worked on the new ring since 2020. The new flagship beamlines are EBSL1-ID18, EBSL2-ID03, EBSL3-BM18 and EBSL8-ID29 (ESRF upgrade, Physics World). It is the reference for all fourth-generation upgrades (PETRA IV, APS-U, SPring-8-II, Diamond-II, SOLEIL II).
Now as of 9 Nov 2026
The programme is being cut back. According to a notice of 22 December 2025, the ESRF Council required annual operating costs to fall by €5 million. The facility closes for seven consecutive days each year; ID06-LVP and ID24-ED leave the public user programme; time on ID28 and ID30A-3 (MASSIF-3) is halved. ID28 has run at half capacity since March 2026, ID06-LVP and ID30A-3 are reduced step by step from the second half of 2026, and ID24-ED runs until the end of February 2027. At the same time, the Council granted an exceptional contribution to restart frozen projects, including a nano-imaging beamline for the life sciences (ESRF, 22 December 2025). The 2027 schedule (updated 15 September 2026) has five user periods and 5,328 hours of user mode, with no long shutdown (Operation 2027, PDF, schedules).
Key dates
- 2020Users on the EBS ringdone
- 22 Dec 2025Decision to cut costs by €5 million a yeardone
- Mar 2026ID28 at half capacityas planned
- Feb 2027 (end)ID24-ED leaves the user programmeplanned