Abstract
In order to implement radiotherapy based on a laser accelerator, it is necessary to precisely control the spatial distribution and energy spectrum of the proton beams to meet the requirements of the radiation dose distribution in the three-dimensional biological target. A compact laser plasma accelerator has been built at Peking University, which can reliably generate and transport MeV-energy protons with a specified energy onto the irradiation platform. In this paper, we discuss several technologies for the accurate control of a laser-accelerated proton beam with large divergence angle and broad energy spread, including the determination of the beam source position with micron accuracy, a tuning algorithm for the transport line which we refer to as ``matching-image-point two-dimensional energy analysis'' to realize accurate energy selection, and the control of beam distribution uniformity. In the prototype experiment with low energy protons and 0.5-Hz irradiation rate, a tailored energy deposition is demonstrated, which shows the potential feasibility of future irradiation based on laser-accelerated proton beams.
Highlights
Particle accelerators have made a huge impact on modern society
We show several technologies for the accurate control of a laser-accelerated proton beam with large divergence angle and broad energy spread through a beam line composed of electromagnets
The compact laser plasma accelerator (CLAPA) experimental results show a laser plasma accelerator integrated with an image-relaying beam line that can reliably deliver protons with beam qualities suitable for many applications
Summary
Particle accelerators have made a huge impact on modern society. A host of different kinds of accelerators are in operation around the world for diverse applications, such as studying the collisions of quarks with each other in the field of high-energy physics, investigations of collisions of heavy nuclei, synchrotron light sources in the study of atomic structure and biology, and proton beam radiation therapy for cancer treatment. We show several technologies for the accurate control of a laser-accelerated proton beam with large divergence angle and broad energy spread through a beam line composed of electromagnets. We demonstrate the improvement of proton beam distribution uniformity through the optics of the beam line Based on these technologies, we were able to produce tailored energy deposition with a three-dimensional radially symmetric dose distribution from a TW laser accelerator operated at. We propose the use of matching-image-point two-dimensional energy analysis to realize accurate analyzing for particles with a large divergence angle and energy spread, with which it will be feasible to shape the typically broad, exponential-like energy spectrum to meet the requirements for cancer therapy
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