Status of the variable momentum compaction storage ring experiment in SPEAR

Variable momentum compaction lattices have been proposed for electron-positron colliders and synchrotron radiation sources to control synchrotron tune and bunch length. To address questions of single particle stability limits, a study has been initiated to change the SPEAR lattice into a variable momentum compaction configuration for experimental investigation of the beam dynamics. In this paper, we describe a model-based method used to transform SPEAR from the injection lattice to the low momentum compaction configuration. Experimental observations of the process are reviewed.<>