Helium (4He2+) beam commissioning at the injector of the MedAustron Ion cancer treatment facility : Source branch, LEBT and LINAC

Abstract

The MedAustron facility, located in Wiener Neustadt, is a state of the art ion acceleration complex, delivering ion beams for cancer treatment and research purposes. The synchrotron-based complex provides proton beams up to 252.7 MeV and carbon ion beams up to 402.8 MeV/u for cancer treatment. Four irradiation rooms are available, three of which are dedicated to patient treatment and one to non-clinical research. The non-clinical research beamline is also commissioned for proton energies up to 800 MeV.In recent years, the possibility of using the third available ECR ion source to produce 4He2+ beam was explored. These efforts ultimately resulted in the initiation of the HelioS3 project, which aims for delivering 4He2+ beam into the non-clinical irradiation room by the end of 2024. Within this diploma thesis, the commissioning strategy and results for the source branch, LEBT and LINAC of the MedAustron injector are presented and discussed. This includes the setup of the ECR ion source to produce a stable high intensity 4He2+ beam, the setup and optimization of the available magnets for optimum injection into the LINAC as well as the setup and optimization of the LINAC elements for acceleration of the 4He2+ beam to 7 MeV/u.