Commissioning the 90 Degree Lattice for the PEP II High Energy Ring

In order to benefit from further reduction of the vertical IP beta function of the PEP-II high energy ring (HER) the bunch length should be reduced. This will be achieved by changing the phase advance from 60 degree to 90 degree in the four arcs not adjacent to the IR region, thus reducing momentum compaction by about 30% and reducing bunch length from a present 12 mm down to 8.5 mm at low beam current. In preparation to implement the 90 degree lattice the main HER quadrupole and sextupole strings and their power supplies have been reconfigured. The synchrotron tune initially will be lower but can be brought back by raising the rf voltage. Beam emittance is held at 48 nmr by introducing a significant dispersion beat in the arcs. The lattice was successfully commissioned at currents up to 800 mA in August 2007. In this paper we will compare the actual machine with the predicted behaviour, explain the correction strategies used and give an overall assessment of the operation and the benefit of the new lattice configuration