Rapid Cycling Medical Synchrotron at BNL

Application/instrumentation: Rapid Cycling Medical Synchrotron
Developed at: Collider-Accelerator Dept., Superconducting Magnet Div., Brookhaven National Laboratory and consortium members: Advanced Energy Systems, Fluor Corporation, Ion Beam Applications
Developed in:
Result of NP research: Conceptual design of an RCMS was established in a design manual in 2003. A current CRADA (2007-2008) is generating a preliminary engineering design, an accurate cost & schedule, and other project activities. Follow on CRADAs (2008-2010) are anticipated.
Application currently being supported by: NanoLife Sciences International
Impact/benefit to spin-off field: State-of-the-art design of an accelerator capable of 3-D stereo-tactic non-invasive treatment of tumours with protons, anti-protons or light ions. Improved and less expensive treatment of cancer.

The RCMS layout, shown on the left, contains an injector, a synchrotron accelerator, and a switchyard feeding independent beam lines in one research room and five treatment rooms. Perspective views of some of the major beam delivery systems are also shown.

Four of the five treatment rooms have rotating gantries. The first two gantries to be installed will use passive scattering. These first two gantries can be upgraded to use beam scanning at a later date. The third gantry will be installed with a scattered or scanned beam depending on the availability of reliable and suitably proven scanning technology at the time of installation. It, too, can be upgraded to a scanned beam at a later date. The fourth gantry will be installed using a scanned beam.

The fixed beam treatment room has three beam lines -- a small field beam line directed to a chair for eye treatments and two orthogonal (horizontal and vertical) large field beam lines. A research room is available for research and calibration purposes, with an entrance separate from the patient areas. This research room includes a switching magnet capable of bending the incoming by 30 degrees, between two independent beam lines. The treatment rooms, and in particular the gantry rooms, are laid out in a linear fashion, so that routine operation is possible even with a partial complement of finished rooms. It will be possible to run beam into the initial fixed beam and gantry rooms while the rest of the facility is being constructed. The facility is designed so each component treatment room operates independently of the others -- it is possible to remove one beam line from service without affecting the rest of the facility.