Comparison of 352 MHz Linac Structures for Injection into an Ion Therapy Accelerator

Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 2024, Volume 2687, Issue 5 2024
Lazar Nikitovic, Toms Torims, Maurizio Vretenar

In the frame of ongoing initiatives for the design of a new generation of synchrotron-based accelerators for cancer therapy with ion beams, an analysis of linac designs has been started, to address a critical element with a strong impact on the performance and cost of the accelerator. The goal is to identify alternatives at lower cost and a similar or possibly smaller footprint than the standard 217 MHz injector presently used in all carbon therapy facilities in Europe. As an additional feature, a new linac design can be tailored to produce radioisotopes for treatment and diagnostics in parallel with operation as a synchrotron injector. In this paper, the attractive option of moving to 352 MHz frequency is analyzed, to a profit of reliable mechanical designs already developed for protons and of the cost savings that can be obtained using Radiofrequency (RF) power sources klystrons with a much lower cost per Watt than tubes or solid-state units. The paper is presenting a Quasi-Alvarez Drift Tube Linac (QA-DTL) version of an injector linac for carbon ions at q/A=1/3 and compare it with Inter-Digital H-Mode DTL (IH-DTL) designs. The option of a Separated-tank IH-DTL structure (S-IH-DTL) is also discussed, along with a standard IH-DTL, both at 352 MHz. Finally, a DTL design at 352 MHz for the injection of fully stripped helium ions into the synchrotron is presented.

Keywords
Cost benefit analysis | Ion beams | Ions | Klystrons | Linear accelerators
DOI
10.1088/1742-6596/2687/5/052011
Hyperlink
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/2687/5/052011

Nikitovic, L., Torims, T., Vretenar, M. Comparison of 352 MHz Linac Structures for Injection into an Ion Therapy Accelerator. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 2024, Vol. 2687, No. 5, Article number 052011. ISSN 1742-6588. e-ISSN 1742-6596. Pieejams: doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2687/5/052011

Publication language
English (en)