Neutron Source Based on Vacuum Insulated Tandem Accelerator and Lithium Target.

Sergey Taskaev,Vyacheslav Porosev,Tatiana Sycheva,Ivan Shchudlo,Sergey Savinov,Alexey Koshkarev,Aleksandr Makarov,Timofey Bykov,Evgenii Berendeev,Marina Bikchurina,Gleb Verkhovod,Iaroslav Kolesnikov,Dmitrii Kasatov,Evgeniia Sokolova,Igor Sorokin,Georgii Ostreinov

doi:10.3390/biology10050350

Sergey Taskaev, Vyacheslav Porosev + Show 14 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/biology10050350

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Abstract

Simple SummaryA compact neutron source has been proposed and created at the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics in Novosibirsk, Russia. The source comprises an original design tandem accelerator, solid lithium target, and a neutron beam shaping assembly. The neutron source is capable of producing the high neutron flux in various energy ranges, from thermal to fast, for boron neutron capture therapy, as well as for other applications. A lot of scientific research has been carried out at the facility, including the study of blistering and its effect on the neutron yield. The Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) technique is being tested in in vitro and in vivo studies, and the methods of dosimetry are being developed. It is planned to certify the neutron source next year and conduct clinical trials on it. The neutron source served as a prototype for a facility created for a clinic in Xiamen (China).A compact accelerator-based neutron source has been proposed and created at the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics in Novosibirsk, Russia. An original design tandem accelerator is used to provide a proton beam. The proton beam energy can be varied within a range of 0.6–2.3 MeV, keeping a high-energy stability of 0.1%. The beam current can also be varied in a wide range (from 0.3 mA to 10 mA) with high current stability (0.4%). In the device, neutron flux is generated as a result of the 7Li(p,n)7Be threshold reaction. A beam-shaping assembly is applied to convert this flux into a beam of epithermal neutrons with characteristics suitable for BNCT. A lot of scientific research has been carried out at the facility, including the study of blistering and its effect on the neutron yield. The BNCT technique is being tested in in vitro and in vivo studies, and the methods of dosimetry are being developed. It is planned to certify the neutron source next year and conduct clinical trials on it. The neutron source served as a prototype for a facility created for a clinic in Xiamen (China).

Highlights

This article is an open access articleThe main objective for the accelerator-based Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT)system is to design a compact neutron source that best satisfies the BNCT requirements [1], namely, a source of beam of epithermal neutrons with minimized fraction of fast and thermal neutrons
Negative hydrogen ions are injected to the input of the tandem accelerator, accelerated by a positive potential applied to the central electrode, stripped to the positive ions, and accelerated again by the same potential
The Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics (BINP) tandem accelerator, which was named as Vacuum-Insulated Tandem Accelerator (VITA), has a specific design that does not involve accelerating tubes, unlike conventional tandem accelerators

Summary

Introduction

This article is an open access articleThe main objective for the accelerator-based Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT)system is to design a compact neutron source that best satisfies the BNCT requirements [1], namely, a source of beam of epithermal neutrons with minimized fraction of fast and thermal neutrons. This article is an open access article. The main objective for the accelerator-based Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT). System is to design a compact neutron source that best satisfies the BNCT requirements [1], namely, a source of beam of epithermal neutrons with minimized fraction of fast and thermal neutrons. Monoenergetic neutron beams with low particle distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons. Biology 2021, 10, 350 fast and thermal neutrons. A neutron source for BNCT should generate a monoenergetic neutron beam with an energy of ~10 keV.

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