Evaluation of Air-Kerma and Absorbed Dose to Water for External Radiotherapy Beam Using Ionization Chamber

Radiotherapy is the most widely applied oncologic treatment modality utilizing ionizing radiation. A high degree of accuracy, reliability and reproducibility is required for a successful treatment outcome. Measurement using ionization chamber is a prerequisite for absorbed dose determination for external beam radiotherapy. Calibration coefficient is expressed in terms of air kerma and absorbed dose to water traceable to Secondary Standards Dosimetry Laboratory. The objective of this work was to evaluate the level of accuracy of ionization chamber used for clinical radiotherapy beam determination. Measurement and accuracy determination were carried out according to IAEA TRS 398 protocol. Clinical farmers type ionization chamber measurement and National Reference standard from Secondary Standards Dosimetry Laboratory were both exposed to cobalt-60 beam and measurement results compared under the same environmental conditions. The accuracy level between National Reference Standard and clinical radiotherapy standard was found to be −1.92% and −2.02% for air kerma and absorbed dose to water respectively. To minimize the effect of error and maximize therapeutic dose during treatment in order to achieve required clinical outcome, calibration factor was determined for air kerma (Nk) as 49.7 mGy/nC and absorbed dose to water ND, as 52.9 mGy/nC. The study established that radiotherapy beam measurement chain is prone to errors. Hence there is a need to independently verify the accuracy of radiation dose to ensure precision of dose delivery. The errors must be accounted for during clinical planning by factoring in calibration factor to minimize the systematic errors during treatment, and thereby providing enough room to achieve ±5% dose delivery to tumor target as recommended by ICRU.

Milestone progress of the HEPS booster commissioning

The high-energy photon source(HEPS)is the first fourth-generation synchrotron light source facility in China.The HEPS injector consists of a linear accelerator(Linac)and a full energy booster.The booster captures the electron beam from the Linac and increases its energy to the value required for the storage ring.The full-energy beam could be injected to the storage ring directly or after“high-energy accumulation.”On November 17,2023,the key booster parameters successfully reached their corresponding target values.These milestone results were achieved based on numerous contributions,including nearly a decade of physical design,years of equipment development and installation,and months of beam commissioning.As measured at the extraction energy of 6 GeV,the averaged beam current and emittance reached 8.57 mA with 5 bunches and 30.37 nm rad with a single-bunch charge of 5.58 nC,compared with the corresponding target values of 6.6 mA and 35 nm rad,respectively.This paper presents the physical design,equipment development,installation,and commissioning process of the HEPS booster.

A study of pulsed high voltage driven hollow-cathode electron beam sources through synchronous optical trigger

In this study,a pulsed,high voltage driven hollow-cathode electron beam sources through an optical trigger is designed with characteristics of simple structure,low cost,and easy triggering.To validate the new design,the characteristics of hollow-cathode discharge and electron beam characterization under pulsed high voltage drive are studied experimentally and discussed by discharge characteristics and analyses of waveform details,respectively.The validation experiments indicate that the pulsed high voltage supply significantly improves the frequency and stability of the discharge,which provides a new solution for the realization of a high-frequency,high-energy electron beam source.The peak current amplitude in the high-energy electron beam increases from 6.2 A to 79.6 A,which indicates the pulsed power mode significantly improves the electron beam performance.Besides,increasing the capacitance significantly affects the highcurrent,lower-energy electron beam more than the high-energy electron beam.

The Arc Regulation Characteristics of the High-Current Ion Source for the EAST Neutral Beam Injector

The arc regulation method is applied to the high-current ion source for high-power hydrogen ion beam extraction for the first time. The characteristics of the arc and beam, including the probe ion saturation current, the arc power and the beam current, are studied with feedback control. The results show that the arc regulation method can be successfully applied to ion beam extraction. This lays a sound foundation for the testing of a new ion source and the operation of a conditioned ion source for neutral beam injector devices.

Design of the Prototype Negative Ion Source for Neutral Beam Injector at ASIPP

In order to support the design, manufacture and commissioning of the negative- ion-based neutral beam injection （NBI） system for the Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor （CFETR）, the Hefei utility negative ion test equipment with RF source （HUNTER） was proposed at ASIPP. A prototype negative ion source will be developed at first. The main bodies of plasma source and accelerator of the prototype negative ion source are similar to that of the ion source for EAST-NBI. But instead of the filament-arc driver, an RF driver is adopted for the prototype negative ion source to fulfill the requirement of long pulse operation. A cesium seeding system and a magnetic filter are added for enhancing the negative ion density near the plasma grid and minimizing co-extracted electrons. Besides, an ITER-like extraction system is applied inside the accelerator, where the negative ion beam is extracted and accelerated up to 50 kV.

Influence of magnetic filter field on the radio-frequency negative hydrogen ion source of neutral beam injector for China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor

In the design of negative hydrogen ion sources,a magnetic filter field of tens of Gauss at the expansion region is essential to reduce the electron temperature,which usually results in a magnetic field of around 10 Gauss in the driver region,destabilizing the discharge.The magnetic shield technique is proposed in this work to reduce the magnetic field in the driver region and improve the discharge characteristics.In this paper,a three-dimensional fluid model is developed within COMSOL to study the influence of the magnetic shield on the generation and transport of plasmas in the negative hydrogen ion source.It is found that when the magnetic shield material is applied at the interface of the expansion region and the driver region,the electron density can be effectively increased.For instance,the maximum of the electron density is 6.7×10^(17)m^(-3)in the case without the magnetic shield,and the value increases to 9.4×10^(17)m^(-3)when the magnetic shield is introduced.

Coin-structured tunable beam shaping assembly design for accelerator-based boron neutron capture therapy for tumors at different depths and sizes

In the past decade,boron neutron capture therapy utilizing an accelerator-based neutron source(ABNS)designed primarily for producing epithermal neutrons has been implemented in the treatment of brain tumors and other cancers.The specifications for designing an epithermal beam are primarily based on the IAEA-TECODC-1223 report,issued in 2001 for reactor neutron sources.Based on this report,the latest perspectives and clinical requirements,we designed an ABNS capable of adjusting the average neutron beam energy.The design was based on a 2.8 MeV,20 mA proton beam bombarding a lithium target to produce neutrons that were subsequently moderated and tuned through a tunable beam shaping assembly(BSA)which can modify the thicknesses and materials of the coin-shaped moderators,back reflectors,filters,and collimators.The simulation results demonstrated that epithermal neutron beams for deep seated tumor treatment,which were generated by utilizing magnesium fluoride with lengths ranging between 28 and 36 cm as the moderator,possessed a treatment depth of 5.6 cm although the neutron flux peak shifts from 4.5 to 1.0 keV.When utilizing a thinner moderator,a less accelerated beam power can meet the treatment requirements.However,higher powers reduced the treatment time.In contrast,employing a thick moderator can reduce the skin dose.In scenarios that required relatively low energy neutron beams,the removal of the thermal neutron filter can raise the thermal neutron flux at the beam port.And the depth of the dose rate peak could be adjusted between 0.25 and 2.20 cm by combining magnesium fluoride and polyethylene coins of different thicknesses.Hence,this device has a better adaptability for the treatment of superficial tumors.Overall,the tunable BSA provides greater flexibility for clinical treatment than common BSA designs that can only adjust the port size.

THE PEKING UNIVERSITY MULTI—APPLICATION ION BEAM ANALYSIS SYSTEM

A multi-application ion beam analysis system and some research projects performed at this system are described. The lifetime of the RF ion source for He^- is discussed.

Thermal analysis of EAST neutral beam injectors for long-pulse beam operation

Two sets of neutral beam injectors(NBI-1 and NBI-2) have been mounted on the EAST tokamak since 2014. NBI-1 and NBI-2 are co-direction and counter-direction, respectively. As with indepth physics and engineering study of EAST, the ability of long pulse beam injection should be required in the NBI system. For NBIs, the most important and difficult thing that should be overcome is heat removal capacity of heat loaded components for long-pulse beam extraction. In this article, the thermal state of the components of EAST NBI is investigated using water flow calorimetry and thermocouple temperatures. Results show that(1) operation parameters have an obvious influence on the heat deposited on the inner components of the beamline,(2) a suitable operation parameter can decrease the heat loading effectively and obtain longer beam pulse length, and(3) under the cooling water pressure of 0.25 MPa, the predicted maximum beam pulse length will be up to 260 s with 50 keV beam energy by a duty factor of 0.5. The results present that, in this regard, the EAST NBI-1 system has the ability of long-pulse beam injection.

Analysis of the characteristics of the plasma of an RF driven ion source for a neutral beam injector

A radio frequency(RF)driven ion source is a very important component of a neutral beam injector for large magnetic confinement fusion devices.In order to study the key technology and physics of an RF driven ion source for a neutral beam injector in China,an RF ion source test facility was developed at the Institute of Plasma Physics,Chinese Academy of Sciences.In this paper,a two-dimensional fluid model is used to simulate the fundamental physical characteristics of RF plasma discharge.Simulation results show the relationship of the characteristics of plasma(such as electron density and electron temperature)and RF power and gas pressure.In order to verify the effectiveness of the model,the characteristics of the plasma are investigated using a Langmuir probe.In this paper,experimental and simulation results are presented,and the possible reasons for the discrepancies between them are given.This paper can help us understand the characteristics of RF plasma discharge,and give a basis for further R&D for an RF ion source.

Focused electron beam transport through a long narrow metal tube at elevated pressures in the forevacuum range

We present here our investigations of the features of focused electron beam transport in free space at elevated pressures of a few pascals.We have explored the effect of the beam accelerating voltage,operating gas pressure,and magnetic focusing upon the trajectory of beam electrons in the crossover region,in particular on the beam convergence and divergence angles.It is shown that for the forevacuum pressure range of 2-5 Pa explored,a distinctive feature of the propagation of a focused electron beam with a current of up to 20 mA at an accelerating voltage of 10-20 kV is the difference in the angles of convergence(before the focus)and divergence(after the focus).Whereas at a low pressure of 2 Pa the divergence angle is smaller than the convergence angle,as the pressure increases the divergence angle increases and for pressures greater than 5 Pa the divergence angle is greater than the convergence angle.The results obtained were used in experiments on electron beam transport through a long narrow metal tube with a diameter of 5.8-9.2 mm and length of 10-30 cm.We show that for a 30 cm long tube of 7.5 mm diameter,the focused beam transmission can exceed 70%.

The Influences of an Embedded Structure Fiber-Optic Radiation Dosimeter in Different SSD and Beam Field Size

With a rapidly increasing demand and widespread use of radiotherapy treatment, the subject area of in-vivo real time dose rate dosimeters has become a significant area of study. An embedded structure fiber-optic radiation dosimeter has proved to be a promising candidate to fulfil this role because of its high SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) and excellent light conversion efficiency. In this paper, the properties of this kind of dosimeter with respect to different SSD (Source to Surface Distance) and beam field size in a clinical Linac are studied. The characteristics of the dosimeter were evaluated by the sensor’s output intensity response in these conditions.

Intermediate energy light sources and the SSRF project

Advances in insertion device technology, top-up operation and superconducting RF cavities make it possible to generate high brightness X-ray with intermediate energy light sources, which leads a new trend in designing and constructing third generation light sources around the world. The development status and the remarkable technical features of intermediate energy light sources are reviewed, and the main SSRF properties are described in this paper.

Discharge Stabilization and Obtaining of Quasi-Stationary Electron Beams in Explosive-Emission Sources

Quasistationary discharge mode setting in the explosive-emission sources is related to the saturation of the cathode plasma emissive ability resulting in the decrease of the velocity of plasma propagation into the interelectrode gap. It was shoran previously that the electron beam space charge providing the current rise slowing-down is of great importance in the process of the discharge mode stabilization. The paper considers a possibility of the discharge protraction at the expense of decrease of the ion charge order in the plasma composition and application of the directed plasma flows. The data concerning obtainig of micro- and millisecond electron beams in the explosive-emission sources are presented as well.

RF Ion Beam Sources Used in Etching

Ion beam technology is used widely in many fields such as electric, material, optics, medicine, biology and so on. At the same time, it brings some huge technological effects and economical benefits, especially for the optical applocations. According for the technology, the properties of high accuarate spectral analyzer also can be improved by manufacturing the lage-area holographic ion beam eathing（HIBE） grating. Simultaneously, as one of the parts of ion beam technology, the developments of ion beam sources have some important effects to content the demands of ion beam technology such as large ion beam flux, excellent optical qualities. In this paper, an ion beam source called inductively coupled plasma（ICP） ion beam source was introduced, and the extractor system, the application prospect were also discussed.

Formation of a Quasi-Stationary Discharge in the Explosive-Emission Electron Sources

Formation of a quasi-stationary discharge or quasi-stationary emission mode in the explosive-emission electron sources is related to the current limitation resulting from the emissive ability saturation of cathode plasma with its expansion. The paper shows that in the process of the discharge current stabilization in the explosive-emission sources with the point- or blade-type emitters the essential role belongs to the electron beam space charge. Availability of the space charge results in limitation of the current growth velocity at the initial discharge phase and, hence, restricts the emissive ability of the cathode plasma and contributes to its saturation. In the vacuum diodes with multiemitter cathodes, the space charge availability increases the cathode operation stability and can provide obtaining of quasi-stationary beam current values or close to them resulting in formation of a plasma emission surface at the cathode close to the continuous one.

Beam and image experiment of beam deflection electron gun for distributed X-ray sources

Distributed X-ray sources comprise a single vacuum chamber containing multiple X-ray sources that are triggered and emit X-rays at a specific time and location. This process facilitates an application for innovative system concepts in X-ray and computer tomography. This paper proposes a novel electron beam focusing, shaping,and deflection electron gun for distributed X-ray sources.The electron gun uses a dispenser cathode as an electron emitter, a mesh grid to control emission current, and two electrostatic lenses for beam shaping, focusing, and deflection. Novel focusing and deflecting electrodes were designed to increase the number of focal spots in the distributed source. Two identical half-rectangle opening electrodes are controlled by adjusting the potential of the two electrodes to control the electron beam trajectory, and then, multifocal spots are obtained on the anode target. The electron gun can increase the spatial density of the distributed X-ray sources, thereby improving the image quality. The beam experimental results show that the focal spot sizes of the deflected(deflected amplitude 10.5 mm)and non-deflected electron beams at full width at half maximum are 0.80 mm 90.50 mm and 0.55 mm 90.40 mm, respectively(anode voltage 160 kV; beam current 30 mA). The imaging experimental results demonstrate the excellent spatial resolution and time resolution of an imaging system built with the sources, which has an excellent imaging effect on a field-programmable gate array chip and a rotating metal disk.

Design and preliminary results of beam return on of high power ion source

Long pulse operation of high power ion source is the requirement of fusion science research on neutral beam injector. A breakdown of accelerator column is drastically increased when operating with high beam energy and long beam duration. To extend the pulse length, which was stopped with every breakdown so far, the beam re-starting technology was developed and utilized. As a result, the voltage drop of every power supply due to breakdown was recovered within a time of 90 ms and beam pulse length was extended much longer than the case before this improvement. The details of the beam re-starting technology and the preliminary results were presented in this manuscript.

Preliminary Results of Ion Beam Extraction Tests on EAST Neutral Beam Injector

The neutral beam injection （NBI） system is one of the most important auxiliary plasma heating and current driving methods for fusion device. A high power ion beam of 3 MW with 80 keV beam energy in 0.5 s beam duration and a long pulse ion beam of 4 s with 50 keV beam energy ion beam extraction were achieved on the EAST neutral beam injector on the teststand. The preliminary results show that the EAST-NBI system was developed successfully on schedule.

Achievement of 100 s Long Pulse Neutral Beam Extraction in EAST Neutral Beam Injector

Neutral beam injection （NBI） is recognized as one of the most effective means for plasma heating. A 100 s long pulse neutral beam with 30 keV beam energy, 10 A beam current and a 100 s long pulse modulating neutral beam with 50 keV beam energy, 16 A beam current were achieved in the EAST neutral beam injector on the test-stand. The preliminary results suggest that EAST-NBI system initially possess the ability of long pulse beam extraction.