Development Status of Next-generation High Magnetic Field Superconducting Proton Therapy Systems

Abstract

  Mevion Medical Systems has designed a high magnetic field synchrocyclotron for cancer treatment that has dramatically reduced the size and complexity of proton acceleration. The enabling technology is superconducting technology. The key technology is the TriNiobium (Nb₃Sn) magnet wire. The compact superconducting accelerator uses two rings in the accelerator. This revolutionary proton accelerator is only 6 ft (1.8 m) in diameter, and can generate 250 MeV protons capable of reaching targets as deep as 32 cm in an equivalent water medium. This system has an accelerator mounted in the outer gantry.