Magnet Technology and Design of Superconducting Magnets for Heavy Ion Gantry for Hadron Therapy

Abstract

Various initiatives in Europe have been launched to study superconducting magnets for a rotatable gantry suitable to deliver up to 440 MeV/A carbon ions for hadron therapy. One initiative is led by INFN inside an agreement with CERN, CNAO, and MedAustron aiming at designing and manufacturing a strongly curved cos θ dipole rated for 4 T central field and with a ramp rate of 0.15-0.4 T/s. Here we explore the suitability of dipole technology derived from HEP collider for a rotatable gantry that poses severe conditions on the thermal design (indirectly cooled coils). A second one is in the frame of the European program H2020-HITRIplus-WP8, aimed at exploring the feasibility of using the novel Canted Cosine Theta (CCT) concept to produce a superconducting dipole with similar characteristics. The scope is to design and built one or two prototypes with Nb-Ti rope, to see if this route could be a viable alternative. Finally in the European collaboration H2020-I. FAST-WP8 we are exploring both CCT in combined function design (dipole + quadrupole, in Nb-Ti) and the use of HTS (REBCO tapes) with CCT dipole layout, pursuing the design manufacture of small prototypes with European Industry. If HTS will be found successful, it will be a great benefit for the cryogenic design of the magnet system.