SHARP: A compact focusing system for medical applications using a diverging plasma lens

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Sjobak, Kyrre Ness, Rød-Lindberg, Elisabeth, Ellingsen, Abélia, Drobniak, Pierre, Rieker, Vilde Flognfeldt, Reaz, Fardous, Lindstrøm, Carl Andreas, Adli, Erik
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2026
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author Sjobak, Kyrre Ness
Rød-Lindberg, Elisabeth
Ellingsen, Abélia
Drobniak, Pierre
Rieker, Vilde Flognfeldt
Reaz, Fardous
Lindstrøm, Carl Andreas
Adli, Erik
author_facet Sjobak, Kyrre Ness
Rød-Lindberg, Elisabeth
Ellingsen, Abélia
Drobniak, Pierre
Rieker, Vilde Flognfeldt
Reaz, Fardous
Lindstrøm, Carl Andreas
Adli, Erik
contents Cancer therapy for deep-seated tumors requires precise irradiation of a small target deep within the patient while minimizing radiation exposure to surrounding tissues. This can be accomplished with a round beam sharply converging towards a single spot, requiring a large beam size in both planes at the exit of the focusing system. Achieving this over a short distance using only quadrupole lenses is challenging; but by using a linear active plasma lens (APL) in defocusing mode, the beam can be quickly and non-destructively enlarged before focusing using quadrupoles. The position of the irradiation spot can also be scanned in three dimensions by changing magnet settings. The SHARP project will develop and test this concept. Such a system can be used with very high energy electrons (hundreds of MeV), creating a Bragg-peak-like spot using novel accelerator technology. This could lead to more compact radiotherapy facilities, not requiring a bulky infrastructure typically associated with proton radiotherapy machines. If successful, SHARP will enable precision conformal radiotherapy, spatial fractionation, and potentially be useful for FLASH radiotherapy.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_19712
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle SHARP: A compact focusing system for medical applications using a diverging plasma lens
Sjobak, Kyrre Ness
Rød-Lindberg, Elisabeth
Ellingsen, Abélia
Drobniak, Pierre
Rieker, Vilde Flognfeldt
Reaz, Fardous
Lindstrøm, Carl Andreas
Adli, Erik
Medical Physics
Accelerator Physics
Cancer therapy for deep-seated tumors requires precise irradiation of a small target deep within the patient while minimizing radiation exposure to surrounding tissues. This can be accomplished with a round beam sharply converging towards a single spot, requiring a large beam size in both planes at the exit of the focusing system. Achieving this over a short distance using only quadrupole lenses is challenging; but by using a linear active plasma lens (APL) in defocusing mode, the beam can be quickly and non-destructively enlarged before focusing using quadrupoles. The position of the irradiation spot can also be scanned in three dimensions by changing magnet settings. The SHARP project will develop and test this concept. Such a system can be used with very high energy electrons (hundreds of MeV), creating a Bragg-peak-like spot using novel accelerator technology. This could lead to more compact radiotherapy facilities, not requiring a bulky infrastructure typically associated with proton radiotherapy machines. If successful, SHARP will enable precision conformal radiotherapy, spatial fractionation, and potentially be useful for FLASH radiotherapy.
title SHARP: A compact focusing system for medical applications using a diverging plasma lens
topic Medical Physics
Accelerator Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.19712