Methods, devices and systems for ultra-high dose radiotherapy are disclosed. The described techniques rely in-part on active switching control of a photoconductive switch during the time the accelerator is accelerating charged particles to produce the output radiation at the desired dose rates. One radiotherapy system includes a particle accelerator configured to receive charged particles from a pulsed source. The particle accelerator includes a pipe configured to allow the charged particles to pass through as a beam, a magnetic core positioned proximate to the pipe and coupled to the pulsed source, and at least one multilayer insulator positioned adjacent to the pipe and the magnetic core. The system also includes a photoconductive switch coupled to the particle accelerator and configured to supply the particle accelerator with a plurality of voltage pulses.

A remote diagnostic monitoring of operating states for physical components of a particle accelerator system includes obtaining, by a processor at a first physical location, one or more operating states corresponding to one or more physical components associated with a particle emitting system and a particle delivery system each located at a second physical location remote from the first physical location, associating the operating states with corresponding operating indicators, generating a component hierarchy corresponding to a physical arrangement of the physical components of the particle emitting system and including the corresponding operating indicators, identifying a faulted physical component among the physical components, identifying fault path components among the physical components, the fault path components corresponding to a portion of the physical arrangement associated with the faulted physical component, modifying the operating indicators of the fault path components to fault state indicators, and presenting a fault monitor presentation including the operating indicators and a faulted component presentation portion corresponding to the fault state indicators.

A laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) induced electron beam system for cancer therapy and diagnostics. Example embodiments presented herein include one or more laser fibers, and an electron beam source within an individual one of the one or more laser fibers, wherein the electron beam source includes a laser pulse source, a plasma target, a set of optics interposing the laser pulse source and the plasma target adapted to focus a laser pulse generated by the laser pulse source onto the plasma target, wherein interaction of the laser pulse with the plasma target induces the generation of an electron beam. In various embodiments presented herein, high energy electrons of the electron beam interact with a high-Z material to generate X-rays.

A device and a method for measuring proton beam source position and beamline center are disclosed. The device includes N quadrupole magnets, a laser, a target and a scintillation screen; the target and the scintillation screen are arranged in front of and behind the N-quadrupole lens, respectively; the N-quadrupole lens can be converted to a M-quadrupole lens; the position of proton beam after being focused by the N- or M-quadrupole lens on the scintillation screen is measured; according to the amplification factor and the proton beam position, the offset of the proton beam source from the beamline center, as well as the position of the beamline center on the scintillation screen are calculated; the disclosure can accurately determine the position of the beamline center and the proton beam source by the use of N quadrupole magnets, combined with a scintillation screen.

A radiation therapy system comprises a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system combined with an irradiation system, which can include one or more linear accelerators (linacs) that can emit respective radiation beams suitable for radiation therapy. The MRI system includes a split magnet system, comprising first and second main magnets separated by gap. A gantry is positioned in the gap between the main MRI magnets and supports the linac(s) of the irradiation system. The gantry is rotatable independently of the MRI system and can angularly reposition the linac(s). Shielding can also be provided in the form of magnetic and/or RF shielding. Magnetic shielding can be provided for shielding the linac(s) from the magnetic field generated by the MRI magnets. RF shielding can be provided for shielding the MRI system from RF radiation from the linac.

It is provided a method for obtaining an energy spectrum of a focused ion beam when a Bragg peak chamber is used to measure an integrated depth dose, IDD. The method comprises the steps of: simulating doses of a set of nominally mono energetic focused ion beams; determining a lateral extension of a Bragg peak chamber to evaluate; calculating a set of theoretic component IDD curves, CIDDs, by laterally integrating the dose of the simulated set of the nominally mono energetic focused ion beams, over the lateral extension of the Bragg peak chamber; storing calculated CIDDs; obtaining a measured IDD of a focused ion beam with a nominal energy using the Bragg peak chamber; and performing a fit of a linear combination of CIDDs to the measured IDD, to determine an energy spectrum for the focused ion beam with the nominal beam energy.

A radiation therapy system comprises a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system combined with an irradiation system, which can include one or more linear accelerators (linacs) that can emit respective radiation beams suitable for radiation therapy. The MRI system includes a split magnet system, comprising first and second main magnets separated by gap. A gantry is positioned in the gap between the main MRI magnets and supports the linac(s) of the irradiation system. The gantry is rotatable independently of the MRI system and can angularly reposition the linac(s). Shielding can also be provided in the form of magnetic and/or RF shielding. Magnetic shielding can be provided for shielding the linac(s) from the magnetic field generated by the MRI magnets. RF shielding can be provided for shielding the MRI system from RF radiation from the linac.

A high-energy radiation treatment system can comprise a laser-driven accelerator system, a patient monitoring system, and a control system. The laser-driven accelerator system, such as a laser-driven plasma accelerator or a laser-driven dielectric microstructure accelerator, can be constructed to irradiate a patient disposed on a patient support. The patient monitoring system can be configured to detect and track a location or movement of a treatment volume within the patient. The control system can be configured to control the laser-driven accelerator system responsively to the location or movement of the treatment volume. The system can also include a beam control system, which generates a magnetic field that can affect the radiation beam and/or secondary electrons produced by the irradiation beam. In some embodiments, the beam control system and the patient monitoring system can comprise a magnetic resonance imaging system.

A high-energy radiation treatment system can comprise a laser-driven accelerator system, a patient monitoring system, and a control system. The laser-driven accelerator system, such as a laser-driven plasma accelerator or a laser-driven dielectric microstructure accelerator, can be constructed to irradiate a patient disposed on a patient support. The patient monitoring system can be configured to detect and track a location or movement of a treatment volume within the patient. The control system can be configured to control the laser-driven accelerator system responsively to the location or movement of the treatment volume. The system can also include a beam control system, which generates a magnetic field that can affect the radiation beam and/or secondary electrons produced by the irradiation beam. In some embodiments, the beam control system and the patient monitoring system can comprise a magnetic resonance imaging system.

A remote diagnostic monitoring of operating states for physical components of a particle accelerator system includes generating, by at least one processor, a component hierarchy corresponding to a physical arrangement of one or more physical components of a particle emitting system and including corresponding operating indicators of operating states of the physical components, identifying, by the at least one processor, a faulted physical component among the physical components, identifying, by the at least one processor, one or more fault path components among the physical components, the fault path components corresponding to a portion of the physical arrangement associated with the faulted physical component, and modifying, by the at least one processor, the operating indicators of the fault path components to fault state indicators.