Concept and performance evaluation of two 3 GHz buncher units optimizing the dose rate of a novel preclinical proton minibeam irradiation facility

Mayerhofer, Michael; Bergmaier, Andreas; Datzmann, Gerd; Hagn, Hermann; Helm, Ricardo; Mitteneder, Johannes; Schubert, Ralf; Picardi, Luigi; Nenzi, Paolo; Ronsivalle, Concetta; Wirth, Hans-Friedrich und Dollinger, Guenther (2021): Concept and performance evaluation of two 3 GHz buncher units optimizing the dose rate of a novel preclinical proton minibeam irradiation facility.
In: PLOS One 16(10), e0258477

Abstract

To demonstrate the large potential of proton minibeam radiotherapy (pMBRT) as a new method to treat tumor diseases, a preclinical proton minibeam radiation facility was designed. It is based on a tandem Van-de-Graaff accelerator providing a 16 MeV proton beam and a 3 GHz linac post-accelerator (designs: AVO-ADAM S.A, Geneva, Switzerland and ENEA, Frascati, Italy). To enhance the transmission of the tandem beam through the post-accelerator by a factor of 3, two drift tube buncher units were designed and constructed: A brazed 5-gap structure (adapted SCDTL tank of the TOP-IMPLART project (ENEA)) and a non-brazed low budget 4-gap structure. Both are made of copper. The performance of the two differently manufactured units was evaluated using a 16 MeV tandem accelerator beam and a Q3D magnetic spectrograph. Both buncher units achieve the required summed voltage amplitude of 42 kV and amplitude stability at a power feed of less than 800 W.

• Dokumententyp: Zeitschriftenartikel
• Fakultät: Physik
• Themengebiete: 500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik > 530 Physik
• ISSN: 1932-6203
• Sprache: Englisch