Toshihiko Hori

Measurement of relative biological effectiveness of protons in human cancer cells using a laser-driven quasimonoenergetic proton beamline

Human cancer cells are irradiated by laser-driven quasimonoenergetic protons. Laser pulse intensities at the 5×1019 W/cm2 level provide the source and acceleration field for protons that are subsequently transported by four energy-selective dipole magnets. The transport line delivers 2.25 MeV protons with an energy spread of 0.66 MeV and a bunch duration of 20 ns. The survival fraction of in vitro cells from a human salivary gland tumor is measured with a colony formation assay following proton irradiation at dose levels of up to 8 Gy, for which the single bunch dose rate is 1×107 Gy/s and the effective dose rate is 0.2 Gy/s for 1 Hz repetition of irradiation. Relative biological effectiveness at the 10% survival fraction is measured to be 1.20±0.11 using protons with a linear energy transfer of 17.1 keV/μm.

Stabilization of the rf system at the SPring-8 linac

Abstract Beam energy variation of the SPring-8 linac was 1% or more at the start of beam commissioning. Depending on fluctuation, beam transmission efficiency from the linac to the booster synchrotron was significantly affected, and beam intensity in the booster synchrotron changed 20–30%. This caused delay of optimization of the various parameters in the booster synchrotron. More problematic, the beam intensities stored in each rf (radio frequency) bucket of the storage ring at SPring-8 were all different from each other. The users utilizing synchrotron radiation requested that the beam intensity in each rf bucket be as uniform as possible. It was thus a pressing necessity to stabilize the beam energy in the linac. Investigation of the cause has clarified that the various apparatuses installed in the linac periodically changed depending on circumstances and utilities such as the air conditioner, cooling water and electric power. After various improvements, beam energy stability in the linac of

Quasi-monochromatic pencil beam of laser-driven protons generated using a conical cavity target holder

A 7 MeV proton beam collimated to 16 mrad containing more than 106 particles is experimentally demonstrated by focusing a 2 J, 60 fs pulse of a Ti:sapphire laser onto targets of different materials and thicknesses placed in a millimeter scale conical holder. The electric potential induced on the target holder by laser-driven electrons accelerates and dynamically controls a portion of a divergent quasi-thermal proton beam originated from the target, producing a quasi-monoenergetic “pencil” beam.

Measurement of DNA Double-Strand Break Yield in Human Cancer Cells by High-Current, Short-Duration Bunches of Laser-Accelerated Protons

To investigate the radiobiological effects of high dose rates that are attributed to high current, short bunch beam generation with laser-dreven ion acceleration, we have developed an experimental setup that uses laser-accelerated protons. In-vitro human lung cancer cells: A549 pulmonary adenocarcinoma are irradiated with a laser-accelerated proton bunches with a duration of 2×10-8 s and flux of ~1015 cm-2 s-1, amounting to single bunch absorbed dose at the 1 Gy level. The double-strand break (DSB) yield in cell DNA is analyzed for the laser-accelerated proton beam at an average LET of 41 keV/µm.

The Diagnosis Method for High-Energy Ion Beams Using Backscattered Particles for Laser-Driven Ion Acceleration Experiments

A single CR-39 detector mounted on plastic plates is irradiated with a 100 MeV He ion beam. Although the beam energy is much greater than the detection threshold limit of the CR-39 detector, a large number of etch pits having elliptical openings are observed on the rear surface. Detailed investigations reveal that these etch pits are created by heavy ions inelastically backscattered from the plastic plates. This method allows a simple diagnosis of the ion beam profile and the presence of the high-energy component beyond the detection threshold limit of the CR-39 detector, especially in mixed-radiation fields such as laser-driven ion acceleration experiments.

Prompt In-Line Diagnosis of Single Bunch Transverse Profiles and Energy Spectra for Laser-Accelerated Ions

Many applications of laser-accelerated ions will require beamlines with diagnostic capability for validating simulations and machine performance at the single bunch level as well as for the development of controls to optimize machine performance. We demonstrated prompt, in-line, single bunch transverse profile and energy spectrum detection using a thin luminescent diagnostic and scintillator-based time-of-flight spectrometer simultaneously. The Monte Carlo code, particle and heavy ion transport code systems (PHITS) simulation is shown to be reasonably predictive at low proton energy for the observed transverse profiles measured by the thin luminescent monitor and also for single bunch energy spectra measured by time-of-flight spectrometry.

General Expression for Current Transformer

The mechanism of the current transformer is analyized, and its expression is derived as a complex function of the frequency spectrum or as a real function of the time evolution. These formulae include the effect of magnetic material, which is usually a part of the current transformer, and cause a multiple droop phenomenon in the time evolution. It becomes clear that the multiple droop phenomenon is enhanced in the case of a few turns of secondary windings, such as in a wall current monitor. In the case of many turns of secondary windings, the longest droop component becomes dominant, and the remaining shorter droop components disappear.

A diagnosis of intense ion beam by CR-39 detectors analyzing the back scattered particles

A new diagnosis method has been developed utilizing back scattered particles for high energy intense ion beams. The CR-39 detector mounted on the uniform back-scatterer was irradiated with 4He2+ ions with an energy 25 MeV/n, which is never recorded as etchable track in CR-39. We found that it is possible to diagnose by analyzing the etch pits on the rear surface of CR-39 that directly contacted on the back-scatterers. It turns out that most of etch pits in the rear surface are made by the backscattered particles by investigating the growth pattern of each etch pit with multi-step etching technique. This method allows simple diagnosis of the ion beam profile and intensity distribution in mixed radiation field such as laser-driven ion acceleration experiments.

The progress in the laser-driven proton acceleration experiment JAEA with table-tip Ti:Sappire laser system

This paper presents the experimental investigation of laser-driven proton acceleration using a table top Ti:Sapphire laser system interacting with the thin-foil targets during the course of medical application of the laser-driven proton beam. The proton beam with maximum energy of upto 14~MeV is generated in 60 TW mode. The number of protons at ~10 MeV is estimated to be over 105 proton/sr/MeV/shot with beam having half divergence angle of 5~degree. If 10 Hz operation is assumed 2 Gy dose is possible to irradiate during 10 min onto a ~1 mm tumor just under the skin. In contrast to the previous condition of our apparatus with which we demonstrated the DNA double-strand breaking by irradiating the laser-driven proton beam onto the human cancer cells in-vitro test, the result reported here has significant meaning in the sense that pre-clinical in-vivo test can be started by irradiating the laser-driven proton beam onto the skin of the mouse, which is unavoidable step before the real radiation therapy.

Toward laser driven proton medical accelerator

Towards our final goal, such as to establish the laser-driven proton accelerator for the medical application, one of the most important things to establish is to develop the proton transport system. In this continuous work, we demonstrate the focusing system of the laser-driven proton beam with permanent magnet qadrupoles (PMQs), with which a 2.4 MeV laser-driven proton beam, having a divergence angle of ~10 degrees at birth, is focused to a spot whose size is 3×8mm2 at 640mm downstream from the target.