Commercial Accelerators: Compact Superconducting Synchrocyclotrons with Magnetic Field up to 10 T for Proton and Carbon Therapy

Based on a brief review of accelerators widely used for proton-ion therapy and for curing patients over the last 20 years, the necessity and feasibility of creating compact superconducting synchrocyclotrons with a magnetic field value up to 10 T are outlined. The main component of modern commercial facilities for proton-ion therapy is an isochronous cyclotron with room-temperature or superconducting coils which accelerates protons to 250 MeV or a synchrophasotron with carbon-ion energy reaching 400 MeV/nucleon. Usually the ions are delivered from the accelerator to the medical-treatment room via transport lines, while irradiation is produced by means of a system that is comprised of pointing magnets, collimators, and energy degraders mounted on a rotating gantry. To greatly reduce the price of the facility (by an order of magnitude) and to facilitate the work of hospital personnel, the isocentric rotation of a compact superconducting synchrocyclotron around the patient is proposed. Estimates of the physical and technical parameters of the facility are given.