The TOP project status

Abstract

ENEA, in collaboration with ISS (Italian National Institute of Health), is developing a dedicated proton medical accelerator. The TOP (Oncological Therapy with Protons) linac is to be installed at the IFO Oncological Hospital in Rome. It will be a sequence of three pulsed (5 psec, 300 Hz) linear accelerators: a 7 MeV, 425 MHz RFQ+DTL (AccSys Model PL-7), a 7-65 MeV, 2998 MHz Side Coupled Drift Tube Linac (SCDTL) and a 65-200 MeV, variable energy 2998 MHz Side Coupled Linac (SCL). The 7 MeV injector output will also be used in high current mode for F-18 radioisotope production. The SCDTL output will be used for proton treatment of ocular melanoma and for radiobiology studies, with the SCL output dedicated to proton treatment of deep seated tumours. The 7 MeV injector has been completed by AccSys and shipped to ENEA in Frascati and the first SCDTL module (to boost the beam from 7 to 13.4 MeV) has been constructed. The low energy (7 MeV) beam lines for F-18 production and injection in the SCDTL are under construction. The characteristics of the various accelerator components and the status of the project are presented.