9
Proton and Ion Laser Plasma
Acceleration
9.1
Bragg peak
166 In Chapter 6, we primarily discussed the plasma accelera9.2 DNA response to
tion of electrons. There are strong motivations, however, for
radiation
169 development of plasma acceleration of protons and ions, as
9.3
Conventional
further advances in this area could improve current ways of
proton therapy
treating tumors.
facilities
171
The advantages of using protons and ions (in comparison
9.4 Plasma acceleration to using electrons and X-rays) are associated with the pheof protons and ions nomenon of Bragg peak — we will start our discussion by
— motivation 176 looking at this phenomenon in detail.
9.5 Regimes of proton
Regarding the application of accelerators for therapy, it is
laser plasma
important to know how either the electrons or protons can afacceleration
176 fect the living cells. We will therefore briefly overview, in this
9.6 Glimpse into the
chapter, how the mechanisms of DNA respond to radiation.
future
182
The conventional accelerator systems used for particle
beam therapy for tumors typically require protons with
around 250 MeV of energy. The accelerator is typically a
synchrotron or a cyclotron (so far the most popular). A
beam therapy facility usually includes beam delivery gantries
(which send the beams in a selected target volume), as well
as collimators and degraders. We will review the design
and functionality of conventional beam-therapy facilities in
a later section.
A conventional accelerator system for particle beam therapy, with a beam source and several gantries, may require
several thousands of square meters of space, making these
respective facilities large and expensive to maintain. On the
other hand, plasma acceleration of protons and ions is one of
the most promising means by which we can make beam therapy more affordable and more accessible to patients. After we
discuss the motivations to apply plasma acceleration to this
area, we will briefly overview the present understanding of
the different regimes and mechanisms of proton/ion plasma
acceleration.
We would like to once again note that proton/ion laser
plasma acceleration is a rapidly developing area and, moreover, it involves rather complicated physics. There are various regimes of acceleration identified and several mechanisms that explain the experimental results. The different
mechanisms of acceleration compete, and often more than
one mechanism acts at the same time. The mechanisms of acceleration are often just approximate models that represent
a gradual improvement of our understanding of proton/ion
165
DOI: 10.1201/b18696-9
Proton and Ion Laser Plasma
Acceleration
9.1
Bragg peak
166 In Chapter 6, we primarily discussed the plasma accelera9.2 DNA response to
tion of electrons. There are strong motivations, however, for
radiation
169 development of plasma acceleration of protons and ions, as
9.3
Conventional
further advances in this area could improve current ways of
proton therapy
treating tumors.
facilities
171
The advantages of using protons and ions (in comparison
9.4 Plasma acceleration to using electrons and X-rays) are associated with the pheof protons and ions nomenon of Bragg peak — we will start our discussion by
— motivation 176 looking at this phenomenon in detail.
9.5 Regimes of proton
Regarding the application of accelerators for therapy, it is
laser plasma
important to know how either the electrons or protons can afacceleration
176 fect the living cells. We will therefore briefly overview, in this
9.6 Glimpse into the
chapter, how the mechanisms of DNA respond to radiation.
future
182
The conventional accelerator systems used for particle
beam therapy for tumors typically require protons with
around 250 MeV of energy. The accelerator is typically a
synchrotron or a cyclotron (so far the most popular). A
beam therapy facility usually includes beam delivery gantries
(which send the beams in a selected target volume), as well
as collimators and degraders. We will review the design
and functionality of conventional beam-therapy facilities in
a later section.
A conventional accelerator system for particle beam therapy, with a beam source and several gantries, may require
several thousands of square meters of space, making these
respective facilities large and expensive to maintain. On the
other hand, plasma acceleration of protons and ions is one of
the most promising means by which we can make beam therapy more affordable and more accessible to patients. After we
discuss the motivations to apply plasma acceleration to this
area, we will briefly overview the present understanding of
the different regimes and mechanisms of proton/ion plasma
acceleration.
We would like to once again note that proton/ion laser
plasma acceleration is a rapidly developing area and, moreover, it involves rather complicated physics. There are various regimes of acceleration identified and several mechanisms that explain the experimental results. The different
mechanisms of acceleration compete, and often more than
one mechanism acts at the same time. The mechanisms of acceleration are often just approximate models that represent
a gradual improvement of our understanding of proton/ion
165
DOI: 10.1201/b18696-9