LhARA: The Laser-hybrid accelerator for radiobiological applications
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The “Laser-hybrid Accelerator for Radiobiological Applications,” LhARA, is conceived as a novel, flexible facility dedicated to the study of radiobiology. The technologies demonstrated in LhARA, which have wide application, will be developed to allow particle-beam therapy to be delivered in a new regimen, combining a variety of ion species in a single treatment fraction and exploiting ultra-high dose rates. LhARA will be a hybrid accelerator system in which laser interactions drive the creation of a large flux of protons or light ions that are captured using a plasma (Gabor) lens and formed into a beam. The laser-driven source allows protons and ions to be captured at energies significantly above those that pertain in conventional facilities, thus evading the current space-charge limit on the instantaneous dose rate that can be delivered. The laser-hybrid approach, therefore, will allow the radiobiology that determines the response of tissue to ionizing radiation to be studied with protons and light ions using a wide variety of time structures, spectral distributions, and spatial configurations at instantaneous dose rates up to and significantly beyond the ultra-high dose-rate “FLASH” regime. It is proposed that LhARA be developed in two stages. In the first stage, a programme of in vitro radiobiology will be served with proton beams with energies between 10 and 15 MeV. In stage two, the beam will be accelerated using a fixed-field alternating-gradient accelerator (FFA). This will allow experiments to be carried out in vitro and in vivo with proton beam energies of up to 127 MeV. In addition, ion beams with energies up to 33.4 MeV per nucleon will be available for in vitro and in vivo experiments. This paper presents the conceptual design for LhARA and the R&D programme by which the LhARA consortium seeks to establish the facility.
Date Issued
2020-09
Date Acceptance
2020-08-28
Citation
Frontiers in Physics, 2020, 8, pp.1-21
ISSN
2296-424X
Publisher
Frontiers Media
Start Page
1
End Page
21
Journal / Book Title
Frontiers in Physics
Volume
8
Copyright Statement
© 2020 Aymar, Becker, Boogert, Borghesi, Bingham, Brenner, Burrows, Ettlinger, Dascalu, Gibson, Greenshaw, Gruber, Gujral, Hardiman, Hughes, Jones, Kirkby, Kurup, Lagrange, Long, Luk, Matheson, McKenna, McLauchlan, Najmudin, Lau, Parsons, Pasternak, Pozimski, Prise, Puchalska, Ratoff, Schettino, Shields, Smith, Thomason, Towe, Weightman, Whyte and Xiao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
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Sponsor
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
Engineering & Physical Science Research Council (E
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
Science and Technology Facilities Council [2006-2012]
The John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science Capital Equipment 2018
Identifier
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphy.2020.567738/full
Grant Number
PP/E000509/1
ST/H000992/1
ST/H000992/2
ST/K001604/1
4070103442
4070194718
4070265878
4070264600
EP/K022415/1
ST/P000835/1
ST/P002021/1
ST/S001956/1
ST/P002021/1
ST/S001956/1
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2020-09-29