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TU‐C‐AUD‐04: Laser‐Proton Acceleration for Radiation Therapy
Author(s) -
Ma C,
Velchev I,
Lin T,
Fourkal E,
Li J,
Fan J,
Orimo S,
Ogura K
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
medical physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.473
H-Index - 180
eISSN - 2473-4209
pISSN - 0094-2405
DOI - 10.1118/1.2761353
Subject(s) - laser , proton , proton therapy , atomic physics , acceleration , electron , materials science , optics , ion , physics , nuclear physics , classical mechanics , quantum mechanics
Purpose: Rapid developments in laser technology have facilitated proton (light ion) acceleration using laser‐induced plasmas. In this work, we investigate an experimental system for laser‐accelerated proton therapy. Method and Materials: Our system consists of a commercial 150 TW laser, custom‐made laser‐pulse compression and target chambers, particle selection and beam collimating devices, dosimetry monitoring systems and shielding constructions. We have performed initial laser‐proton acceleration experiments with thin aluminum foils as target materials. The maximum proton energy was measured using CR‐39 film and a Thomson parabola ion analyzer. We have performed particle‐in‐cell simulations to investigate the optimal laser parameters and target configurations to facilitate laser‐proton acceleration and dosimetric studies. Results: The primary particles resulting from the laser‐target interaction are protons and electrons. Our particle in cell simulation predicted protons of up to 300 MeV and electrons of 20 MeV for a laser intensity of 10 21 W/cm 2 . The maximum number was 10 11 and 10 12 per pulse for protons and electron, respectively. Our initial testing with a 10 18 W/cm 2 laser intensity (at 10 TW) produced up to 1 MeV protons with a broad energy spectrum. Conclusion: We have developed an experimental laser‐proton accelerator for radiation therapy applications. Initial experimental studies have demonstrated proton acceleration at low laser power levels. Further studies with laser intensities up to 2 × 10 20 W/cm 2 are being conducted with different target materials and configurations.