Brian R. Poole

A compact linac for intensity modulated proton therapy based on a dielectric wall accelerator

A novel compact CT-guided intensity modulated proton radiotherapy (IMPT) system is described. The system is being designed to deliver fast IMPT so that larger target volumes and motion management can be accomplished. The system will be ideal for large and complex target volumes in young patients. The basis of the design is the dielectric wall accelerator (DWA) system being developed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The DWA uses fast switched high voltage transmission lines to generate pulsed electric fields on the inside of a high gradient insulating (HGI) acceleration tube. High electric field gradients are achieved by the use of alternating insulators and conductors and short pulse times. The system will produce individual pulses that can be varied in intensity, energy and spot width. The IMPT planning system will optimize delivery characteristics. The system will be capable of being sited in a conventional linac vault and provide intensity modulated rotational therapy. Feasibility tests of an optimization system for selecting the position, energy, intensity and spot size for a collection of spots comprising the treatment are underway. A prototype is being designed and concept designs of the envelope and environmental needs of the unit are beginning. The status of the developmental new technologies that make the compact system possible will be reviewed. These include, high gradient vacuum insulators, solid dielectric materials, SiC photoconductive switches and compact proton sources.

High gradient induction accelerator

A new type of compact induction accelerator is under development at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory that promises to increase the average accelerating gradient by at least an order of magnitude over that of existing induction machines. The machine is based on the use of high gradient vacuum insulators, advanced dielectric materials and switches and is stimulated by the desire for compact flash X-ray radiography sources. Research describing an extreme variant of this technology aimed at proton therapy for cancer will be described. Progress in applying this technology to several applications will be reviewed.

Scaling studies and time-resolved microwave measurements on a relativistic backward-wave oscillator

A relativistic backward-wave oscillator (BWO) operating at a frequency near 8 GHz has been built. The parameters of the 60-ns electron beam driving this microwave source are varied over the ranges 0.8-1.5 MV and 2-10 kA. Several different annular cathodes for launching the electron beam are tried, varying the outer radius and shape. The axial magnetic field guiding the beam through the BWO is varied between 0.6 and 3 T. The power transfer downstream to an output waveguide is investigated as a function of the shape of the transition from the BWO to the waveguide. The scaling of the output power and frequency with these variations is discussed. Time-resolved measurements of 2-ns-long segments of the microwave output are shown. In observations of the microwave signal, it is found that the frequency shifts as the output power envelope passes through a sharp dip. It is proposed that this shift corresponds to a change in the longitudinal operating mode of the BWO. >

Development of a Compact Radiography Accelerator Using Dielectric Wall Accelerator Technology

We are developing an inexpensive compact accelerator system primarily intended for pulsed radiography. Design characteristics are an 8 MeV endpoint energy, 2 kA beam current, a cell gradient of approximately 3 MV/m (for an overall accelerator length is 2-3 m), and <

Vacuum Insulator Development for the Dielectric Wall Accelerator

1/Volt capital costs. Such designs have been made possible with the development of high specific energy dielectrics (>10J/cm3), specialized transmission line designs and multi-gap laser triggered low jitter (<1 ns) gas switches. In this geometry, the pulse forming lines, switches, and insulator/beam pipe are fully integrated within each cell to form a compact, stand-alone, stackable unit. We detail our research and modeling to date, recent high voltage test results, and the integration concept of the cells into a radiographic system.

Electrical Strength of Multilayer Vacuum Insulators

At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, we are developing a new type of accelerator, known as a dielectric wall accelerator, in which compact pulse-forming lines directly apply an accelerating field to the beam through an insulating vacuum boundary. The electrical strength of this insulator may define the maximum gradient achievable in these machines. To increase the system gradient, we use “high-gradient insulators” composed of alternating layers of dielectric and metal for the vacuum insulator. In this paper, we present our recent results from experiment and simulation, including successful testing of a high-gradient insulator in a functioning dielectric wall accelerator cell. Our results indicate that proper high-voltage conditioning of the insulators can delay the onset of flashover, that the observed conditioning consists of both a permanent and a temporary part, and that the insulators’ voltage-holding capability increases with increasing dielectric layer thickness.

Transmission line analysis of beam deflection in a BPM stripline kicker

The electrical strength of vacuum insulators is a key constraint in the design of particle accelerators and pulsed power systems. Vacuum insulating structures assembled from alternating layers of metal and dielectric can result in improved performance compared to conventional insulators, but previous attempts to optimize their design have yielded seemingly inconsistent results. Here, we present two models for the electrical strength of these structures, one assuming failure by vacuum arcing between adjacent metal layers and the other assuming failure by vacuum surface flashover. These models predict scaling laws which are in agreement with the experimental data currently available.

Dispersion Analysis of the Pulseline Accelerator

In the usual treatment of impedances of beamline structures the electromagnetic response is computed under the assumption that the source charge trajectory is parallel to the propagation axis and is unaffected by the wake of the structure. For high energy beams of relatively low current this is generally a valid assumption. Under certain conditions the assumption of a parallel source charge trajectory is no longer valid and the effects of the changing trajectory must be included in the analysis. Here the usual transmission line analysis that has been applied to BPM type transverse kickers is extended to include the self-consistent motion of the beam in the structure.

Electromagnetic Simulations of Helical-Based Ion Acceleration Structures

We analyze the sheath helix model of the pulseline accelerator [1]. We find the dispersion relation for a shielded helix with a dielectric material between the shield and the helix and compare it against the results from 3-D electromagnetic simulations. Expressions for the fields near the beam axis are obtained. A scheme to taper the properties of the helix to maintain synchronism with the accelerated ions is described. An approximate circuit model of the system that includes beam loading is derived.

Electromagnetic Simulations of Dielectric Wall Accelerator Structures for Electron Beam Acceleration

Helix structures have been proposed [1] for accelerating low energy ion beams using MV/m fields in order to increase the coupling efficiency of the pulsed power system and to tailor the electromagnetic wave propagation speed with the particle beam speed as the beam gains energy. Calculations presented here show the electromagnetic field as it propagates along the helix structure, field stresses around the helix structure (for voltage breakdown determination), optimizations to the helix and driving pulsed power waveform, and simulations showing test particles interacting with the simulated time varying fields.