• S. Yaramyshev, W. Barth, M. Maier, A. Orzhekhovskaya, B. Schlitt, H. Vormann
  GSI, Darmstadt
• R. Cee, A. Peters
  HIT, Heidelberg

The Therapy Linac in Heidelberg (HIT) was successfully commissioned in 2006. Required beam parameters were reached except of the beam intensity. The achieved particle transmission for C⁴⁺ (design ion) is significantly lower than design. Particle losses are mainly observed in the RFQ. One critical point is the matching section of the RFQ electrodes - Input Radial Matcher (IRM). The original design requires too rigid and narrow beam Twiss-parameters at the RFQ entrance. Also the measured emittance is about twice higher compared to the design. Numerically and experimentally it was proven that the solenoid, used for the beam matching to the RFQ, is not able to provide for the necessary beam size and convergence. As it was shown by beam dynamics simulations using the code DYNAMION, a minor modification of the IRM allows for an improvement of the beam transmission (up to 50%). The proposed measure was realized for an advanced HIT-RFQ-layout, which is recently under test stage. The same modification is already proposed for the linac frontend at Italian Hadrontherapy Center (CNAO, Pavia).

Slides

• P. A. Posocco, A. Pisent, C. Roncolato
  INFN/LNL, Legnaro
• G. Clemente, K.M. Kleffner, M. Maier, A. Reiter, B. Schlitt, H. Vormann
  GSI, Darmstadt
• G. Balbinot, E. Bressi, M. Caldara, A. Parravicini, M. Pullia, E. Vacchieri, S. Vitulli
  CNAO, Milan
• C. Biscari
  INFN/LNF, Frascati
• L. Celona, G. Ciavola, S. Gammino
  INFN/LNS, Catania

The CNAO (Centro Nazionale di Adroterapia Oncologica), located in Pavia (Italy), is a dedicated clinical synchrotron facility for cancer therapy using high energy proton and Carbon beams. The 400 MeV/u synchrotron is injected by a 216.8 MHz 7 MeV/u linac composed by a low energy beam transport (fed by two ion sources), a 400 keV/u 4-rod type RFQ and a 20 MV IHDTL. The commissioning of the two ECRIS ion sources and the low-energy line was successfully completed at the end of January 2009 reaching the proper beam conditions for injection into the RFQ. After installation and conditioning, the RFQ was commissioned with beam by the GSI-CNAO-INFN team in March 2009. The beam tests results are presented and compared to the design parameters.

Slides

• A. Parravicini, S. Alpegiani, G. Balbinot, G. Bazzano, D. Bianculli, J. Bosser, E. Bressi, G. Burato, G. Butella, M. Caldara, E. Chiesa, L. Falbo, A. Ferrari, F. Generani, F. Gerardi, L. Lanzavecchia, R. Monferrato, V. Mutti, M. Nodari, M. Pezzetta, A. Portalupi, C. Priano, M. Pullia, S. Rossi, M. Scotti, M. Spairani, E. Vacchieri, S. Vitulli
  CNAO, Milano
• A. Reiter, B. Schlitt
  GSI, Darmstadt
• C. Biscari, C. Sanelli
  INFN/LNF, Frascati
• C. Roncolato
  INFN/LNL, Legnaro
• L. Celona, G. Ciavola, S. Gammino, F. Maimone
  INFN/LNS, Catania
• L. Frosini, G. Venchi
  University of Pavia, Pavia
• M. Ferrarini
  Politecnico di Milano, Milano

The Centro Nazionale di Adroterapia Oncologica (CNAO) is the Italian centre for deep hadrontherapy, namely an innovative type of radiotherapy using hadrons. The wide range of beam parameters (i.e., energy and intensity) at patient level together with the advantages of hadron-therapy with respect to traditional radio-therapy nourishes the hopes for more effective patient recovery. After the LEBT and the RFQ commissioning, the IH commissioning is now in progress. First patients are expected to be treated in 2010. The present paper summarizes and evaluates the Low Energy Beam Transfer (LEBT) line commissioning, which has been carried out between July 2008 and January 2009.