Experience with a low emittance optics in LEP

Since start-up in 1998, LEP has operated with a low emittance lattice with a phase advance of 102/spl deg/ in the horizontal and 90/spl deg/ in the vertical planes. This optics provides a horizontal detuning with amplitude which is small enough to avoid a reduced dynamic aperture in the horizontal plane, a problem experienced in other low emittance lattices. The optics is designed to operate at the highest LEP energies up to and above 100 GeV, as well as at 45.6 GeV (still required to provide Z/sup 0/s for the calibration of the experiments' detectors). The experience gained with this low emittance lattice after one year of operation is presented and its future potential is discussed.