This document defines a linear accelerator and describes its components and generations. It begins by defining a linear accelerator as a machine that uses electromagnetic waves to accelerate charged particles like electrons to high energies. It then describes the three generations of linear accelerators from early bulky models to current compact highly reliable designs with improved treatment capabilities. The document concludes by describing the major components of a linear accelerator including the modulator cabinet, console, drive stand, klystron, waveguide and others.

1. Saad Rashid usmani
N 32
Nuclear Medicine and radiotherapy

2. Linear Accelerator

3. Definition:
Treatment machine that uses
high-frequency electromagnetic
waves to accelerate charged
particles such as electrons to high
energies via a linear tube

4. Accelerator Generations
Early Accelerators (1953-1961
Second Generations (1962-1982)
Third generation accelerators:

5. Early Accelerators (1953-1961):
• Extremely large and
bulky
• Limited gantry motion

6. Second Generations (1962-1982):
• 360 degree rotational
• Allow treatment to a patent
from any gantry angle
• Improvement in accuracy and
dose delivery

7. Third generation accelerators:
• Improved accelerator guide
• Magnet systems
• Beam-modifying systems to provide wide ranges of
beam energy, dose rate, field size
• Operating modes with improved beam
characteristics
• Highly reliable
• Compact design
• May include: dual photon energies, multileaf
collimation, several electron energies & electronic
portal verification systems

8. Components
Modulator cabinet
Console
Drive Stand
Klystron
Waveguide
Circulator
Water-cooling system
Gantry
Electron gun
Accelerator structure
Treatment head
Bending magnet
Flattening filter
Scattering foil
Treatment couch

9. Modulator Cabinet
Contains components that distribute and monitor primary
electrical power and high-voltage pulses to the magnetron or
klystron
Located in the treatment room
Three major components
The fan control: automatically turns the fans off and
on as the need arises for cooling the power
distribution
Auxiliary power-distribution system: contains the
emergency off button that shuts off the power to
the treatment unit.
Primary power-distribution system

10. Console

12. Provides a central
location for
monitoring and
controlling the linac

13. Drive Stand
A stand containing the
apparatus that drives
the linear accelerator

14. Klystron/Magnetron:
power source used to
generate
electromagnetic waves
for the accelerator
guides

17. Waveguide:
hollow tube-like structure
that guide the
electromagnetic waves from
the magnetron to the
accelerating guide where
electrons are accelerated

18. Circulator:
directs the energy into the
waveguide and prevents any
reflected microwaves from
returning to the klystron

19. Water-cooling system:
allows many components in the
gantry and drive stand to
operate at a constant
temperature

20. Klystron
A linear beam microwave amplifier requiring
an external oscillator or radiofrequency (RF)
source driver
Microwave frequencies needed for linear
accelerator operation are about three
billion cycles per second
A form of radiowave amplifier, multiplies
the amount of introduced radiowaves
greatly.

21. Magnetron
Device that provides high-frequency
microwave power that is used to accelerate
the electrons in the accelerating waveguide.
Electrons are emitted from the cathode and
spiral in the perpendicular magnetic field. The
interaction of the spiraling electrons with the
cavities in the anode creates the high-
frequency EM waves.

22. Gantry

24. Responsible for directing the
photon (x-ray) energy or
electron beam at a patients
tumor.

25. Electron gun:
Produce electrons and injects them into
the accelerator structure

26. Treatment head:
Components designed to shape and
monitor the treatment beam

28. Treatment head
Following are the components of
treatment head
Bending magnet
X-ray target
Primary collimator
Beam flattening filter
Ion chamber
Secondary collimators
Field light

29. Bending magnet

32. bends the electron beam through a right
angle, so it ends up pointed at the patient
90 degree magnets (chromatic) have
the property that any energy spread
results in spatial dispersion of the
beam.
Electrons are bent in proportion with
their energy, the lower energy
electrons are bent more, the higher
energy electrons less
Results in a beam that is spread from
side to side according to energy

33. Flattening Filter

35. Flatness

37. Symmetry

39. Scattering foil

41. : thin metal sheets provide electrons with
which they can scatter, expanding the useful
size of the beam

42. Treatment Couch

44. Mounted on a rotational axis
around the isocenter
Move mechanically in a
horizontal and lengthwise
direction- must be smooth and
accurate allowing for precise
and exact positioning of the
isocenter during treatment
positioning
Range in width from 45-50 cm

46. Th ank
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