Electron Accelerator for Radiation Therapy with Beam Energy 6-20 MeV

TL;DR

This paper introduces a compact, efficient electron accelerator design for radiation therapy, capable of variable energies between 6 and 20 MeV, with improved beam control and reduced size and cost.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel design of a compact electron accelerator utilizing a C-band structure and fixed magnetic mirror, enabling wide energy control and simplified operation.

Findings

Optimized for high capture efficiency and narrow energy spectra

Significantly reduced accelerator dimensions and RF power consumption

Potential for cost-effective development on existing platforms

Abstract

Purpose: To describe a concept of a compact electron accelerator for external radiation therapy with variable energy in the range of 6 - 20 MeV, based on linotron principle. Methods: Beam dynamics simulation using the CST and MAD-X code. Various optimization methods of multi-parameter problem. Results: Our accelerator differs from the Reflexotron in a number of essential details: a much more compact and more efficient C-band accelerating structure, optimized for the high capture efficiency, narrow energy and phase spectra, and low transverse emittance; magnetic mirror with fixed field based on rare-earth permanent magnets; three-electrode electron gun with off-axis placement of the cathode with a current regulated in the range of two orders of magnitude. These improvements allow the possibility to: adjust the accelerated beam current in a wide range in accordance with the required energy; reduce parasitic losses of the beam current and the associated parasitic radiation; eliminate the risk of setting an erroneous energy value; significantly reduce the dimensions of the accelerator and simplify its operation. Conclusions: We presented the results of calculation of the electron accelerator for external radiation therapy in the energy range of 6 - 20 MeV. The accelerator is based on the principle of double beam acceleration in the same accelerating structure, which allows to control the beam energy in a wide range, reduce RF power consumption and the dimensions of the accelerator, and, therefore, reduce its cost. The results can be used to develop the design of the accelerator on the platform of the KLT-6 complex created by ROSATOM.