Medical Applications

TL;DR

This paper reviews the evolution and current state of accelerators in medical applications, focusing on hadrontherapy facilities like CNAO and discussing future prospects in the field.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of medical application accelerators, highlighting recent developments, specific facilities like CNAO, and future outlooks in the field.

Findings

Hadrontherapy facilities are at the intersection of industrial and R&D.

CNAO is a key example of advanced hadrontherapy facility.

The field is evolving with new applications and technological advancements.

Abstract

The use of a ccelerators for medical applications has evolved from initial experimentation to turn-key devices commonly operating in hospitals. New applications are continuously being developed around the world, and the hadrontherapy facilities of the newest generation are placed at the frontier between industrial production and advanced R&D. An introduction to the different medical application accelerators is followed by a description of the hadrontherapy facilities, with special emphasis on CNAO, and the report closes with a brief outlook on the future of this field.