Commissioning progress of the RHIC electron lenses

In polarized proton operation, the RHIC performance is limited by the head-on beam-beam effect. To overcome these limitations two electron lenses were installed and are undercommissioning. Onelens usesanewly manufactured superconductingsolenoid, in the other lens the spare superconducting solenoid of the BNL Electron Beam Ion Source (EBIS) is installed to allow for propagation of the electron beam. (Thissparemagnetwillbe replacedbythesametype of superconducting magnet that is also used in the other lens during the 2013 shut-down.) We give an overview of the commissioning configuration of both lenses, and report on first results in commissioning the hardware. We also report on lattice modifications needed to adjust the phase advance betweenthe beam-beaminteractionsand the electron lenses, as well as upgradesto the RHIC instrumentationfor the commissioning.