Published May 16, 2017
| Version v1
Conference paper
Open
Laser-plasma generated very high energy electrons (VHEEs) in radiotherapy
Authors/Creators
- 1. Univ. of Strathclyde (United Kingdom)
- 2. Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences (United Kingdom)
- 3. Institute of Cancer Sciences (United Kingdom)
- 4. National Physical Lab. (United Kingdom)
- 5. Indiana Univ. School of Medicine (United States)
Description
As an alternative modality to conventional radiotherapy, electrons with energies above 50 MeV penetrate deeply into tissue, where the dose can be absorbed within a tumour volume with a relatively small penumbra. We investigate the physical properties of VHEEs and review the state-of-the-art in treatment planning and dosimetry. We discuss the advantages of using a laser wakefield accelerator (LWFA) and present the characteristic features of the electron bunch produced by the LWFA and compare them with that from a conventional linear accelerator.