Abstract
A multidisciplinary team in the UK has received seed funding to investigate
the feasibility of a new facility for ion-therapy research based on novel
accelerator, instrumentation and computing technologies. At the core of the
facility would be a laser-hybrid accelerator dubbed LhARA: a high-power pulsed
laser striking a thin foil target would create a large flux of protons or ions,
which are captured using strong-focusing electron–plasma lenses and then accelerated rapidly in a fixed-field alternating- gradient accelerator. Such a device, says the team, offers enormous clinical potential by providing more flexible, compact and cost-effective multi-ion sources. High-energy X-rays are by far the most common radiotherapy tool, but recent decades have seen a growth in particle-beam radiotherapy. In contrast to X-rays, protons and ion beams can be manipulated to deliver radiation doses more precisely than conventional radiotherapy, sparing surrounding healthy tissue.
the feasibility of a new facility for ion-therapy research based on novel
accelerator, instrumentation and computing technologies. At the core of the
facility would be a laser-hybrid accelerator dubbed LhARA: a high-power pulsed
laser striking a thin foil target would create a large flux of protons or ions,
which are captured using strong-focusing electron–plasma lenses and then accelerated rapidly in a fixed-field alternating- gradient accelerator. Such a device, says the team, offers enormous clinical potential by providing more flexible, compact and cost-effective multi-ion sources. High-energy X-rays are by far the most common radiotherapy tool, but recent decades have seen a growth in particle-beam radiotherapy. In contrast to X-rays, protons and ion beams can be manipulated to deliver radiation doses more precisely than conventional radiotherapy, sparing surrounding healthy tissue.
Original language | English |
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Pages | 9-10 |
Number of pages | 2 |
Volume | 62 |
No. | 5 |
Specialist publication | CERN Courier |
Publication status | Published - 22 Sept 2022 |
Keywords
- radiotherapy
- ion therapy
- high power pulsed laser