• A. Peters, R. Cee, E. Feldmeier, M. Galonska, Th. Haberer, K. Höppner, M.B. Ripert, S. Scheloske, C. Schömers, T. Winkelmann
  HIT, Heidelberg

Since November, 15th 2009 patients are treated with protons and carbon ions at the Heidelberg Ionbeam Therapy Centre (HIT). The facility - two ion sources, an injector linac and a compact synchrotron - is operated in 24/7-mode with high availability. The HIT beam time schedule is discussed along the statistics automatically generated by the control system. Besides the patient treatment in the first horizontal room beam time is also used to develop enhanced treatment software in the second horizontal room as well as for commissioning the gantry place. Additionally, biophysics studies are served at a separate experimental place. In parallel, an upgrade program for the accelerator is under way: at first a test bench for a third ion source, later on dedicated to He beams, will be used to study several ideas to increase the injector performance. Furthermore operation mechanisms are under progress to control directly the synchrotron dipole and quadrupole fields as well as to regulate the spill structure - the aim of both developments is to form a uniform and extremely stable extracted beam with high duty cycle. An overview on this entire accelerator R&D at HIT will be given.