Linear accelerators are a powerful tool, with a wide ranging variety of applications in both research and medicine. At Euclid Techlabs, our expertise in the design and manufacture of precision components has been used in advanced research projects like CERN to help unravel the mysteries of the universe, and in linear accelerator radiation therapies used to help patients in their fight against cancer.
Today, we’ll look at some of the applications of linear accelerators that are making an impact in these important industries, as well as the innovations that Euclid Techlabs has brought to the table.
How Does A Linear Accelerator Work?
A linear accelerator is a type of particle accelerator that uses electromagnetic fields to accelerate charged subatomic particles or ions in a long straight vacuum pipe to nearly the speed of light.
Abbreviated as “linacs”, linear particle accelerators operate using this basic process:
-
- Particle Generation – Particles (e.g., electrons) are generated by an emitter or source, such as a laser-driven photoinjector or field emission tip, producing a beam of charged particles. Euclid is a recognized innovator in advanced electron beam generation via photo- and field emission.
-
- Acceleration – The particles are injected into the beamline and pushed along a straight line tube, through a series of cavities. Each of cavities acts as an additional booster to the kinetic energy of the particle, using a carefully-controlled alternating electromagnetic field to accelerate the particles faster and faster. The electromagnetic field uniformity must be extremely good in order to preserve a high quality beam, and precision control of both amplitude and phase is critical. Some resonating cavities are copper and operate at ambient temperature (normal conducting linacs) while others are made from niobium and are cooled to where the Nb superconducts (superconducting linacs). Euclid builds both normal and superconducting linac structures and injectors.
-
- Synchronization – Linac machines require precise synchronization of the electromagnetic fields (amplitude and phase) to ensure that the particles are being accelerated, and not decelerated. The input power into the cavities can be adjusted using real-time feedback to ensure the particles are accelerated efficiently. Technologies like Euclid’s fast reactive tuners are used in superconducting linacs to correct for resonator drift from acoustic vibrations, and can result in substantial reductions in total power requirements, in pursuit of “green”, environmentally responsible accelerator systems.
-
- Focusing – A magnetic field is produced using magnetic lenses. The magnetic field bends the particle’s path slightly to perform steering or focusing of the beam. Some of Euclid’s magnets have been used for novel applications like objective lenses for ultrafast electron microscopy (UEM).
Real World Applications of Linear Accelerators
Linear accelerators have been used in advanced research projects that study particle physics, industrial applications, and cancer therapies.
Let’s examine some of the most common usages of linac machines.
Transmission Electron Microscopes
One of the most common practical forms of a linac machine is in transmission electron microscopes (TEM).
TEMs are incredibly powerful microscopes, able to see the smallest detectable particles. They focus a thin beam of electrons at a sample, which interacts with the sample’s atoms to produce astoundingly detailed images. A TEM is capable of revealing atomic level detail far beyond what an optical microscope can produce.
Innovations at Euclid Techlabs have now taken the capabilities of TEMs to new heights. With our UltraFast Pulser module, any existing TEM can be upgraded in seconds to produce exceptionally fast, high resolution images. Experiments that would previously take weeks can be completed in a fraction of the time.
Euclid offers specialized electromagnetically-pumped sample holders which can be precisely synchronized with the UltraFast Pulser to perform high-speed, high-acquisition-rate stroboscopic imaging.
Our UltraFast Pulser provides a way to increase the capability of your TEM to achieve picosecond pump-probe, without the high cost and complexity of lasers or photocathodes. The UltraFast Pulser can be retrofitted to any TEM or installed on new systems. It offers the widest tunable range in repetition rate, pulse length, and arbitrary waveform generation of the probe beam while maintaining extremely high beam quality sufficient for atomic resolution time-resolved STEM experiments.
Electronic Brachytherapy
Electronic Brachytherapy (EB) is a form of linear accelerator radiation therapy used to treat a wide variety of cancers including breast, prostate, cervical, and skin cancers.
It works by leveraging linear accelerators to deliver high energy radiation directly to the cancer site. EB is extremely precise, allowing practitioners to target tumors directly, while minimizing damage to the surrounding areas.
Most linear accelerator radiation therapy technologies are either low dose rate (LDR), delivering steady radiation over long periods of time, and high dose rate (HDR), using intense pulses of radiation over shorter periods of time.
Euclid Techlabs has taken EB linear accelerator therapy to the next level with our ultra compact HDR brachytherapy system. This game changing device allows for safe, high dose treatment of cancer, without the need for special radiation treatment rooms, making safe, fast HDR treatment accessible from clinical settings to developing countries.
Fast Reactive Tuners
Linear accelerators command massive amounts of power, with the biggest such as CERN requiring their own power plants. For many institutions that utilize linac machines, reducing energy consumption has been highly sought after.
Euclid Techlabs’ Fast Reactive Tuners (FRT) have the capability to do just that, dramatically reducing power consumption in linear accelerators, by as much as 80%.
Our Fast Reactive Tuners allow the frequency of superconducting radio frequency cavities to be precisely tuned in a matter of nanoseconds. Fine tuning the SRF cavities so rapidly, results in substantial energy savings and a lower operating cost.
Euclid Techlabs partnered with CERN to develop a proof of principle (PoP) that was built and tested successfully on an SRF cavity at CERN.
Conclusion
For decades, linear accelerators have pushed the boundaries of technology, resulting in groundbreaking research and life saving therapies.
At Euclid Techlabs, we are dedicated to realizing the next level of innovations that will make linac machines more powerful, efficient, and reliable.
Whether you are a research institution, industrial enterprise, or medical facility, Euclid Techlabs can help you transform your business and unlock your full potential. Don’t wait another minute to achieve your goals. Contact Euclid Techlabs for a consultation to learn how we can help you break new ground.