Laser–plasma acceleration of electrons for radiobiology and radiation sources

Gizzi, L. A.; Labate, L.; Baffigi, F.; Brandi, F.; Bussolino, Giancarlo; Fulgentini, Lorenzo; Koester, P.; Palla, D.; Rossi, Francesco

doi:10.1016/j.nimb.2015.03.050

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…These demonstration experiments are crucial for guiding continuing research into establishing mechanisms for control and optimisation, indicating the avenues that should receive more effort in our goal to fully harness and broaden their application potential. This work complements the breadth of applications demonstrated with laser acceleration from gas targets [11][12][13] and strengthens the multi-modal source offering of laser drivers.…”

Section: Laser-driven X-ray and Neutron Source Development For Indust...supporting

confidence: 54%

Laser-driven x-ray and neutron source development for industrial applications of plasma accelerators

Brenner

Mirfayzi

Rusby

et al. 2015

Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion

109

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Pulsed beams of energetic x-rays and neutrons from intense laser interactions with solid foils are promising for applications where bright, small emission area sources, capable of multi-modal delivery are ideal. Possible end users of laser-driven multi-modal sources are those requiring advanced non-destructive inspection techniques in industry sectors of high value commerce such as aerospace, nuclear and advanced manufacturing. We report on experimental work that demonstrates multi-modal operation of high power laser-solid interactions for neutron and x-ray beam generation. Measurements and Monte Carlo radiation transport simulations show that neutron yield is increased by a factor ~2 when a 1 mm copper foil is placed behind a 2 mm lithium foil, compared to using a 2 cm block of lithium only. We explore x-ray generation with a 10 picosecond drive pulse in order to tailor the spectral content for radiography with medium density alloy metals. The impact of using >1 ps pulse duration on laser-accelerated electron beam generation and transport is discussed alongside the optimisation of subsequent bremsstrahlung emission in thin, high atomic number target foils. X-ray spectra are deconvolved from spectrometer measurements and simulation data generated using the GEANT4 Monte Carlo code. We also demonstrate the unique capability of laser-driven x-rays in being able to deliver single pulse high spatial resolution projection imaging of thick metallic objects. Active detector radiographic imaging of industrially relevant sample objects with a 10 ps drive pulse is presented for the first time, demonstrating that features of 200 μm size are resolved when projected at high magnification.

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Section: Laser-driven X-ray and Neutron Source Development For Indust...supporting

confidence: 54%

Laser-driven x-ray and neutron source development for industrial applications of plasma accelerators

Brenner

Mirfayzi

Rusby

et al. 2015

Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion

109

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“…A mean dose rate of 1.1 Gy/s and 0.78 Gy/s was measured on the holder surface and at the cell position, respectively, with an instability of 8% (standard deviation). As anticipated in the introduction, the mean dose rate achieved with such a kHz laser-driven electron source is higher than typical dose rates reported in literature with J-class lasers running at 10 Hz (∼Gy/min) [23,11,12,13,24,25]. A rough estimate of the peak dose rate in the pulse can be obtained by considering the temporal stretch of the beam energy components between 0.5 MeV and 1 MeV at the cell position.…”

Section: Dosimetrymentioning

confidence: 81%

Dosimetric characterisation and application to radiation biology of a kHz laser-driven electron beam

Cavallone,

Rovige,

Huijts

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Laser-plasma accelerators can produce ultra short electron bunches in the femtosecond to picosecond duration range, resulting in high peak dose rates in comparison with clinical accelerators. This peculiar characteristic motivates their application to radiation biology studies to elucidate the effect of the high peak dose rate on the biological response of living cells, which is still being debated. Electron beams driven by kHz laser systems may represent an attractive option for such applications, since the high repetition rate can boost the mean dose rate and improve the stability of the delivered dose in comparison with J-class laser accelerators running at 10 Hz. In this work, we present the dosimetric characterisation of a kHz, low energy laser-driven electron source and preliminary results on in-vitro irradiation of cancer cells. A shot-to-shot dosimetry protocol enabled to monitor the beam stability and the irradiation conditions for each cell sample. Results of survival assays on HCT116 colorectal cancer cells are in good agreement with previous findings reported in literature and validate the robustness of the dosimetry and irradiation protocol.

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“…Numerous LWFA mechanisms differing in the way electrons are trapped in the accelerating region of the travelling electric field have been developed in recent years [ 96 , 97 , 98 , 99 , 100 ]. Among them, ionization injection [ 101 , 102 , 103 ] is an efficient and widely used method to produce energetic electrons. A comprehensive review of the main LWFA techniques can be found in [ 104 ].…”

Section: Accelerators For Vheesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the other hand, the low repetition rate of LPA limits the average electron flux and therefore the maximum achievable mean dose rate and/or the field size. Most of the experiments reported in literature were performed with commercially available 10 Hz high-power lasers and reported mean dose rates in the order of Gy/min [ 103 , 107 , 108 , 109 ], comparable to those employed in clinical practice over a surface of a few mm 2 to cm 2 . The development of high repetition rate (>100 Hz) laser systems delivering an energy per pulse comparable to that of currently available 10 Hz lasers will enable the generation of high repetition rate laser-driven VHEEs [ 110 ] and an increase in the mean dose rate of one or two orders of magnitude in coming years.…”

Section: Accelerators For Vheesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Back to the Future: Very High-Energy Electrons (VHEEs) and Their Potential Application in Radiation Therapy

Ronga

Cavallone

Patriarca

et al. 2021

Cancers

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The development of innovative approaches that would reduce the sensitivity of healthy tissues to irradiation while maintaining the efficacy of the treatment on the tumor is of crucial importance for the progress of the efficacy of radiotherapy. Recent methodological developments and innovations, such as scanned beams, ultra-high dose rates, and very high-energy electrons, which may be simultaneously available on new accelerators, would allow for possible radiobiological advantages of very short pulses of ultra-high dose rate (FLASH) therapy for radiation therapy to be considered. In particular, very high-energy electron (VHEE) radiotherapy, in the energy range of 100 to 250 MeV, first proposed in the 2000s, would be particularly interesting both from a ballistic and biological point of view for the establishment of this new type of irradiation technique. In this review, we examine and summarize the current knowledge on VHEE radiotherapy and provide a synthesis of the studies that have been published on various experimental and simulation works. We will also consider the potential for VHEE therapy to be translated into clinical contexts.

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Laser–plasma acceleration of electrons for radiobiology and radiation sources

Cited by 8 publications

References 25 publications

Laser-driven x-ray and neutron source development for industrial applications of plasma accelerators

Laser-driven x-ray and neutron source development for industrial applications of plasma accelerators

Dosimetric characterisation and application to radiation biology of a kHz laser-driven electron beam

Back to the Future: Very High-Energy Electrons (VHEEs) and Their Potential Application in Radiation Therapy

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