Medical therapy and imaging fixed-field alternating-gradient accelerator with realistic magnets

TL;DR

This paper presents a realistic design process for a proton therapy FFAG accelerator, incorporating detailed 2D and 3D magnet models to optimize lattice adjustments for effective treatment and imaging.

Contribution

It introduces an iterative design method that integrates realistic magnet field maps into the FFAG lattice, advancing from idealized models to practical, implementable accelerator designs.

Findings

Successful lattice adjustments maintain small tune shift with energy

Achieved large dynamic aperture suitable for therapy and imaging

Demonstrated rapid, realistic design process for proton accelerators

Abstract

NORMA is a design for a normal-conducting race track fixed-field alternating-gradient accelerator (FFAG) for protons from 50 to 350 MeV. In this article we show the development from an idealised lattice to a design implemented with field maps from rigorous two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) FEM magnet modelling. We show that whilst the fields from a 2D model may reproduce the idealised field to a close approximation, adjustments must be made to the lattice to account for differences brought about by the 3D model and fringe fields and full 3D models. Implementing these lattice corrections we recover the required properties of small tune shift with energy and a sufficiently-large dynamic aperture. The main result is an iterative design method to produce the first realistic design for a proton therapy accelerator that can rapidly deliver protons for both treatment and for imaging at up to 350 MeV. The first iteration is performed explicitly and described in detail in the text.