Speaker
Description
Cyclotron-based proton therapy systems have become the mainstream equipment in modern radiation oncology. Their therapeutic efficacy critically depends on the precise control of key beam parameters such as intensity and energy. In clinical applications, energy modulation is typically achieved by a degrader. However, it inevitably induces large dynamic fluctuations in beam intensity. In addition, long-term operation of the accelerator often introduces thermal drifts, which lead to undesired energy instabilities. Thus, high-precision, real-time beam diagnostics and feedback control technologies are essential for accurate dose delivery in proton therapy.
To address this, we propose a re-entrant resonant cavity detector based on metamaterials. This design enables flexible electromagnetic parameter engineering and internal field reconstruction. It reduces operating frequency, enhances field confinement and achieves miniaturization while maintaining a high quality factor. Theoretical and simulation results confirm a uniform central electric field distribution with superior amplitude resolution over conventional cavities. The detector supports high-precision diagnostics under large beam variations and enables synchronous, real-time monitoring of bunch phase, intensity and energy. This work demonstrates the feasibility of metamaterial-based compact cavity detectors for medical accelerators, promising enhanced robustness in clinical proton therapy through accurate beam monitoring.
Funding Agency
This work was supported by the Nuclear Technology R&D Program under Project Numbers HJSYF2024(05) and the National Key Research and Development Program of China under Project Numbers 2022YFA1602202.
