Abstract
The feasibility of using laser plasma as a source of high-energy ions for the purposes of proton therapy is discussed. The proposal is based on the efficient ion acceleration observed in recent laboratory and numerical experiments on the interaction of high-power laser radiation with gaseous and solid targets. The specific dependence of proton energy losses in biological tissues (the Bragg peak) promotes the solution of one of the main problems of radiation therapy, namely, the irradiation of a malignant tumor with a sufficiently strong and homogeneous dose, ensuring that the irradiation of the surrounding healthy tissues and organs is minimal. In the scheme proposed, a beam of fast ions accelerated by a laser pulse can be integrated in the installations intended for proton therapy.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
G. A. Mourou, P. J. C. Barty, and M. D. Perry, Phys. Today 51, 22 (1998); M. D. Perry and G. Mourou, Science 64, 917 (1994); G. Mourou, Z. Chang, A. Maksimchuk, et al., Fiz. Plazmy 28, 14 (2002) [Plasma Phys. Rep. 28, 12 (2002)].
T. Tajima and J. M. Dawson, Phys. Rev. Lett. 43, 267 (1979); K. Nakajima, D. Fisher, T. Kawakubo, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 74, 4428 (1995); A. Modena, Z. Najimudin, A. E. Dangor, et al., Nature 337, 606 (1995).
N. H. Burnett and G. D. Enright, IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 26, 1797 (1990).
K. Krushelnik, E. L. Clark, R. Allot, et al., IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 28, 1184 (2000).
M. Tabak, J. Hammer, M. E. Glinsky, et al., Phys. Plasmas 1, 1626 (1994).
M. Roth, T. E. Cowan, M. H. Key, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 436 (2001); V. Yu. Bychenkov, W. Rozmus, A. Maksimchuk, et al., Fiz. Plazmy 27, 1076 (2001) [Plasma Phys. Rep. 27, 1017 (2001)].
G. S. Sarkisov, V. Yu. Bychenkov, V. T. Tikhonchuk, et al., Pis’ma Zh. Éksp. Teor. Fiz. 66, 787 (1997) [JETP Lett. 66, 828 (1997)]; A. Maksimchuk, S. Gu, K. Flippo, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 4108 (2000); E. L. Clark, K. Krushelnick, M. Zepf, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 1654 (2000); S. P. Hatchett, C. G. Brown, T. E. Cowan, et al., Phys. Plasmas 7, 2076 (2000); A. J. Mackinnon, M. Borghesi, S. Hatchett, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 1769 (2001).
T. Zh. Esirkepov, Y. Sentoku, K. Mima, et al., Pis’ma Zh. Éksp. Teor. Fiz. 70, 80 (1999) [JETP Lett. 70, 82 (1999)]; S. V. Bulanov, N. M. Naumova, T. Zh. Esirkepov, et al., Pis’ma Zh. Éksp. Teor. Fiz. 71, 593 (2000) [JETP Lett. 71, 407 (2000)]; Y. Sentoku, T. V. Lisseikina, T. Zh. Esirkepov, et al., Phys. Rev. E 62, 7271 (2000); H. Ruhl, S. V. Bulanov, T. E. Cowan, et al., Fiz. Plazmy 27, 411 (2001) [Plasma Phys. Rep. 27, 363 (2001)].
V. S. Khoroshkov and E. I. Minakova, Eur. J. Phys. 19, 523 (1998).
J. Badziak, E. Woryna, P. Parys, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 215001 (2001).
R. B. Miller, Introduction to the Physics of Intense Charged Particle Beams (Plenum, New York, 1982; Mir, Moscow, 1984).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
__________
Translated from Fizika Plazmy, Vol. 28, No. 5, 2002, pp. 493–496.
Original Russian Text Copyright © 2002 by Bulanov, Khoroshkov.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bulanov, S.V., Khoroshkov, V.S. Feasibility of using laser ion accelerators in proton therapy. Plasma Phys. Rep. 28, 453–456 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1134/1.1478534
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/1.1478534