An apparatus for guiding, in particular directing or accelerating, charged particles (50), comprising: a substrate (110) having a surface (115); an optically thinner layer (120) formed on the surface (115); an inhomogeneous channel (130) which is formed by two mutually opposite delimiting structures on a side of the layer (120) that is opposite the substrate (110); and a radiation device which is designed to generate at least one pulsed laser beam (140) and inject the at least one pulsed laser beam (140) into the channel (130) from a side that is opposite the optically thinner layer (120). The layer (120) for the laser beam (140) is optically thin, and the delimiting structures have a high optical density in comparison with the layer (120). The delimiting structures are designed to guide the particles (50) by means of the laser beam (140) in the channel (130) and alternatingly focus them along the channel (130) and in at least one direction perpendicular to the channel (130).

An apparatus for guiding, in particular directing or accelerating, charged particles (50), comprising: a substrate (110) having a surface (115); an optically thinner layer (120) formed on the surface (115); an inhomogeneous channel (130) which is formed by two mutually opposite delimiting structures on a side of the layer (120) that is opposite the substrate (110); and a radiation device which is designed to generate at least one pulsed laser beam (140) and inject the at least one pulsed laser beam (140) into the channel (130) from a side that is opposite the optically thinner layer (120). The layer (120) for the laser beam (140) is optically thin, and the delimiting structures have a high optical density in comparison with the layer (120). The delimiting structures are designed to guide the particles (50) by means of the laser beam (140) in the channel (130) and alternatingly focus them along the channel (130) and in at least one direction perpendicular to the channel (130).

A system has a linear accelerator, ion pump and a compensating magnet. The ion pump includes an ion pump magnet position, an ion pump magnet shape, an ion pump magnet orientation, and an ion pump magnet magnetic field profile. The compensating magnet has a position, a shape, an orientation, and a magnetic field profile, where at least one of the position, shape, orientation, and magnetic field profile of the compensating magnet reduce at least one component of a magnetic field in the linear accelerator resulting from the ion pump magnet.

A hybrid linear accelerator is disclosed comprising a standing wave linear accelerator section (“SW section”) followed by a travelling wave linear accelerator section (“TW section”). In one example, RF power is provided to the TW section and power not used by the TW section is provided to the SW section via a waveguide. An RF switch, an RF phase adjuster, and/or an RF power adjuster is provided along the waveguide to change the energy and/or phase of the RF power provided to the SW section. In another example, RF power is provided to both the SW section and the TW section, and RF power not used by the TW section is provided to the SW section, via an RF switch, an RF phase adjuster, and/or an RF power. In another example, an RF load is matched to the output of the TW section by an RF switch.

A hybrid linear accelerator is disclosed comprising a standing wave linear accelerator section (“SW section”) followed by a travelling wave linear accelerator section (“TW section”). In one example, RF power is provided to the TW section and power not used by the TW section is provided to the SW section via a waveguide. An RF switch, an RF phase adjuster, and/or an RF power adjuster is provided along the waveguide to change the energy and/or phase of the RF power provided to the SW section. In another example, RF power is provided to both the SW section and the TW section, and RF power not used by the TW section is provided to the SW section, via an RF switch, an RF phase adjuster, and/or an RF power. In another example, an RF load is matched to the output of the TW section by an RF switch.

A Hybrid (SW+TW) Linear Acellerator is disclosed having high beam efficiency and broad energy regulation that is useful for security inspection, non-destructive testing, radiotherapy, and electron beam irradiation of objects. The Hybrid Linear Accelerator (LINAC) provides superior energy regulation, and includes a reversed RF power distribution which substantially improves RF power utilization, thereby eliminating need for an output RF load, and ensuring broad electron beam energy regulation operating in a broad range of input RF power, thereby efficiently running at a variety of input electron beam current intensities at high efficiency. The Hybrid LINAC may be equipped with a fast and/or slow phase shifter and/or a power regulator having a phase shifter and a current regulator, while operating much more efficiently than known LINACS. The Hybrid LINAC permits efficient operation without an external magnetic field, thereby avoiding use of a power-consuming solenoid, consequently reducing cost of production, operation, and maintenance.

A Hybrid (SW+TW) Linear Acellerator is disclosed having high beam efficiency and broad energy regulation that is useful for security inspection, non-destructive testing, radiotherapy, and electron beam irradiation of objects. The Hybrid Linear Accelerator (LINAC) provides superior energy regulation, and includes a reversed RF power distribution which substantially improves RF power utilization, thereby eliminating need for an output RF load, and ensuring broad electron beam energy regulation operating in a broad range of input RF power, thereby efficiently running at a variety of input electron beam current intensities at high efficiency. The Hybrid LINAC may be equipped with a fast and/or slow phase shifter and/or a power regulator having a phase shifter and a current regulator, while operating much more efficiently than known LINACS. The Hybrid LINAC permits efficient operation without an external magnetic field, thereby avoiding use of a power-consuming solenoid, consequently reducing cost of production, operation, and maintenance.

An accelerating cavity includes an electrically conductive cylindrical housing and a plurality of cells that are made of a dielectric material and have openings in respective central portions of the cells through which charged particles are allowed to pass. The cells are arranged inside the housing while being aligned in the axial direction of the central axis of the housing, and sandwiched by the housing in the axial direction of the central axis to be immobilized. The housing has grooves provided on portions thereof that support the respective cells and each having a depth that is one fourth of the wavelength of radio frequency waves for the acceleration mode that propagate through the cells.

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.

A high gradient linear accelerating structure can propagate high frequency waves at a negative harmonic to accelerate low-energy ions. The linear accelerating structure can provide a gradient of 50 MV/m for particles at a β of between 0.3 and 0.4. The high gradient structure can be a part of a linear accelerator configured to provide an energy range from an ion source to 450 MeV/u for .sup.12C.sup.6+ and 250 MeV for protons. The linear accelerator can include one or more of the following sections: a radiofrequency quadrupole (RFQ) accelerator operating at the sub-harmonic of the S-band frequency, a high gradient structure for the energy range from ˜45 MeV/u to ˜450 MeV/u.