Operation of the Metrology Light Source as a primary radiation source standard

The Metrology Light Source (MLS), the new electron storage ring of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) located in Berlin, is dedicated to metrology and technological developments in the UV and extreme UV spectral range as well as in the IR and THz region. The MLS can be operated at any electron beam energy between 105 and 630 MeV and at electron beam currents varying from 1 pA ( one stored electron) up to 200 mA. Moreover, it is optimized for the generation of coherent synchrotron radiation in the far IR/THz range. Of special interest for PTB is the operation of the MLS as a primary radiation source standard from the near IR up to the soft x-ray region. Therefore, the MLS is equipped with all the instrumentation necessary to measure the storage ring parameters and geometrical parameters needed for the calculation of the spectral photon flux according to the Schwinger theory with low uncertainty.