Speaker: Elodie Higgins
Abstract: Future hadron therapy gantries will need to be smaller, lighter and cheaper. Depending on future clinical needs, they may also need to transport a large range of beam energies and to meet high rates of energy variation and dose delivery. One potential solution for this is beamlines or gantries based on fixed-field alternating gradient (FFA) optics. Here we outline plans and progress toward the design of a gantry incorporating FFA optics, and outline the concept of constructing a test-beamline for a scaled down gantry to suit a 1-4 MeV proton accelerator already in operation in Melbourne. This flexible test beamline could be used to test FFA concepts and research questions, as well as potentially providing a unique platform for radiobiology studies.