Abstract GaToroid, a novel gantry configuration for hadron therapy, is based on superconducting coils that generate toroidal magnetic field to deliver the beam tumour location. Designing complex GaToroid requires careful consideration of local optical effects. We present Python-based tool charged particle transport in electromagnetic fields. The code implements fast tracking arbitrary three-dim...

The neutron therapy facility at the Gershenson Radiation Oncology Center, Harper University Hospital in Detroit has been operational since September 1991. The d(48.5)+Be beam is produced in a gantry mounted superconducting cyclotron designed and built at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL). Measurements were performed in order to obtain the physical characteristics of the n...

Tomotherapy is the delivery of intensity modulated radiation therapy using rotational delivery of a fan beam in the manner of a CT scanner. In helical tomotherapy the couch and gantry are in continuous motion akin to a helical CT scanner. Helical tomotherapy is inherently capable of acquiring CT images of the patient in treatment position and using this information for image guidance. This revi...

We propose an inverse-geometry volumetric CT system for acquiring a 15-cm volume in one rotation with negligible cone-beam artifacts. The system uses a large-area scanned source and a smaller detector array. This note describes two feasibility investigations. The first examines data sufficiency in the transverse planes. The second predicts the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) compared to a conventio...

PURPOSE This study investigates potential gains of an improved beam angle arrangement compared to a conventional fixed gantry setup in intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) treatment for localized prostate cancer patients based on a proof of principle study. MATERIALS AND METHODS Three patients with localized prostate cancer retrospectively selected from our institution were studied. For ...

Inherent to helical tomotherapy is a dose variation pattern that manifests as a "ripple" (peak-to-trough relative to the average). This ripple is the result of helical beam junctioning, completely unique to helical tomotherapy. Pitch is defined as in helical CT, the couch travel distance for a complete gantry rotation relative to the axial beam width at the axis of rotation. Without scattering ...

PURPOSE In this paper, the effect on image quality of significantly reducing the primary electron energy of a radiotherapy accelerator is investigated using a novel waveguide test piece. The waveguide contains a novel variable coupling device (rotovane), allowing for a wide continuously variable energy range of between 1.4 and 9 MeV suitable for both imaging and therapy. METHOD Imaging at lin...

In VMAT treatment delivery the ability of the linear accelerator (linac) to accurately control dose versus gantry angle is critical to delivering the plan correctly. A new VMAT test delivery was developed to specifically test the dose versus gantry angle with the full range of allowed gantry speeds and dose rates. The gantry-mounted IBA MatriXX with attached inclinometer was used in movie mode ...

Tomotherapy is the delivery of intensity modulated radiation therapy using rotational delivery of a fan beam in the manner of a CT scanner. In helical tomotherapy the couch and gantry are in continuous motion akin to a helical CT scanner. Helical tomotherapy is inherently capable of acquiring CT images of the patient in treatment position and using this information for image guidance. This revi...

We propose a miniature processing head for laser cutting of metal sheets. The thermally-induced focal shift is exacerbated at low values of the beam parameter product, but it is possible to arrange the optical elements such that the focal shift and beam waist variation cancel out. Collimating and focusing low-NA beams with short focal lenses make it possible to use standard plano-convex lenses ...