Speaker
Description
The energy layer switching time is a limiting factor for all hadron therapy facilities, precluding fast beam delivery and reducing treatment efficacy. This bottleneck arises from the narrow momentum acceptance (around ±1%) of existing beamlines, requiring slow magnet ramping to adjust the beam energy. A delivery system with significantly larger momentum acceptance could remove this constraint, but such a beamline has yet to be demonstrated. The TURBO Project aims to develop a proof-of-principle beamline with a momentum acceptance greater than ±40%, using 0.5-3.0MeV proton beams from the Melbourne Pelletron. This expanded range would allow much faster energy modulation, with potential impacts beyond medical applications, including future accelerator concepts such as a muon collider. The proposed beamline integrates several novel features, including new approaches to achromatic arc design, permanent magnet arrays for beam steering and focusing, and a fast-switching energy degrader. Feasibility studies and component development are currently underway, with staged construction planned. The project also includes the design of a full-scale beamline based on the same design principles. Upon completion, the TURBO beamline will represent the largest demonstrated momentum-acceptance achromat to date, with the potential to substantially improve particle therapy patient outcomes.