A linear accelerator is operated by emitting charged particles from a particle source and accelerating the particles in an accelerator by wayof a high-frequency alternating field in such a way that pulses of charged particles are generated. A high-frequency power is periodically supplied by way of high-frequency pulses to the accelerator in order to generate the high-frequency alternating field. A particle stream emitted by the particle source is varied during a HF pulse length of the high-frequency pulse in such a way that the pulse formed during the HF pulse length has at least two sub-pulses with different mean energies per particle. There is also described a linear accelerator that carries out the method and a material-discriminating radioscopy device with a linear accelerator of this kind.

A linear accelerator is operated by emitting charged particles from a particle source and accelerating the particles in an accelerator by wayof a high-frequency alternating field in such a way that pulses of charged particles are generated. A high-frequency power is periodically supplied by way of high-frequency pulses to the accelerator in order to generate the high-frequency alternating field. A particle stream emitted by the particle source is varied during a HF pulse length of the high-frequency pulse in such a way that the pulse formed during the HF pulse length has at least two sub-pulses with different mean energies per particle. There is also described a linear accelerator that carries out the method and a material-discriminating radioscopy device with a linear accelerator of this kind.

Methods and system for facilitating rapid radiation treatments are provided herein and relate in particular to radiation generation and delivery, beam control, treatment planning, imaging and dose verification. The methods and systems described herein are particularly advantageous when used with a compact high-gradient, very high energy electron (VHEE) accelerator and delivery system (and related processes) capable of treating patients from multiple beam directions with great speed, using all-electromagnetic or radiofrequency deflection steering is provided, that can deliver an entire dose or fraction of high-dose radiation therapy sufficiently fast to freeze physiologic motion, yet with a better degree of dose conformity or sculpting than conventional photon therapy.

Disclosed herein is a waveguide for use in a linear accelerator. The waveguide comprises cells arranged to receive a beam of charged particles therethrough along a particle path, and is configured to receive an electromagnetic field from a source of electromagnetic radiation. A plurality of the cells are individually switchable cells, with each individually switchable cell comprising a respective switch configured to adjust the supply of electromagnetic radiation to the individually switchable cell.

An X-ray generation system is configured to generate an X-ray beam configured to be delivered to a patient undergoing radiation therapy. The X-ray generation system includes a linear accelerator system configured to generate an electron beam configured to impinge a target configured to respond to the incident electron beam by emitting an X-ray beam configured to deliver an X-ray dose rate to the patient in a range of 40 Gy/s to 1000 Gy/s within a treatment delivery window.

Methods and system for facilitating rapid radiation treatments are provided herein and relate in particular to radiation generation and delivery, electron source design, beam control and shaping/intensity-modulation. The methods and systems described herein are particularly advantageous when used with a compact high-gradient, very high energy electron (VHEE) accelerator and delivery system (and related processes) capable of treating patients from multiple beam directions with great speed, using all-electromagnetic or radiofrequency deflection steering is provided; or when used with a high-current electron accelerator system of energy range more conventionally used in photon radiation therapy to produce much faster delivery of intensity-modulated photon radiation therapy, that can in both cases deliver an entire dose or fraction of high-dose radiation therapy sufficiently fast to freeze physiologic motion, yet with a equal or better degree of dose conformity or sculpting compared to conventional photon therapy.

When accelerating first ions, radio frequency power is fed to a drift tube linear accelerator so that the phase difference between an accelerating half cycle for accelerating the first ions in one of the plurality of drift tube gaps and the accelerating half cycle for accelerating the accelerated first ions reaching the next drift tube gap is set to a first accelerating cycle phase difference; and when accelerating second ions having a charge-to-mass ratio lower than the first ions, the radio frequency power is fed to the drift tube linear accelerator so that the phase difference between an accelerating half cycle for accelerating the second ions in the one drift tube gap and the accelerating half cycle for the accelerated second ions reaching the next drift tube gap is set to a second accelerating cycle phase difference that is larger than the first accelerating cycle phase difference.

A resonant apparatus such as a resonant waveguide module in an RF particle accelerator includes an unbrazed joint that provides a reliable vacuum seal and RF contact between resonators with precisely controlled internal geometry. The joint can be disassembled and reassembled without degradation. Hard, stainless steel end faces include knife edges pressed into a copper central component, such as a gasket. The knife edges extend the waveguide interiors without gaps or interruptions. The central component serves as a coupling iris or other functional component of the resonant apparatus, thereby allowing the central component to have substantial dimensions that inhibit mechanical distortions thereof. The waveguides and knife edges can be copper plated. Embodiments include embedded passages and/or recesses used for cooling, radiation shielding, magnetic focusing coils, and/or electron optics element formed by permanent magnets.

A system that generates short charged particle packets or pulses (e.g., electron packets) without requiring a fast-switching-laser source is described. This system may include a charged particle source that produces a stream of continuous charged particles to propagate along a charged particle path. The system also includes a charged particle deflector positioned in the charged particle path to deflect the stream of continuous charged particles to a set of directions different from the charged particle path. The system additionally includes a series of beam blockers located downstream from the charged particle deflector and spaced from one another in a linear configuration as a beam-blocker grating. This beam-blocker grating can interact with the deflected stream of charged particles and divide the stream of the charged particles into a set of short particle packets. In one embodiment, the charged particles are electrons. The beam blockers can be conductors.

Methods for generating a multiple-energy X-ray pulse. A beam of electrons is generated with an electron gun and modulated prior to injection into an accelerating structure to achieve at least a first and specified beam current amplitude over the course of respective beam current temporal profiles. A radio frequency field is applied to the accelerating structure with a specified RF field amplitude and a specified RF temporal profile. The first and second specified beam current amplitudes are injected serially, each after a specified delay, in such a manner as to achieve at least two distinct endpoint energies of electrons accelerated within the accelerating structure during a course of a single RF-pulse. The beam of electrons is accelerated by the radio frequency field within the accelerating structure to produce accelerated electrons which impinge upon a target for generating Bremsstrahlung X-rays.