Design aspects for Very High Energy Electron (150 to 250 MeV) acceleration for use in radiation therapy: Beam shaping, electromagnetic scanning

The concept of Very High Energy Electrons (VHEE) of 150 to 250 MeV has been proposed as a new modality in radiation therapy. It offers several advantages over conventional photon therapy, particularly in regions with widely varying tissue densities. In this examination the main focus is on design aspects related to beam shaping and electromagnetic scanning. Beam shaping in this context refers to a divergent beam compared with a parallel beam. Advantages are seen from parallel beam modeling over the divergent beam, and the electromagnetic scanning applies to the creation of a parallel beam. Parallel beams offer certain advantage over divergent beams, and are achievable from dual-field electromagnetic scanning. Certain design limitations are explored in the dual-field scanning design and methods for parameter optimization are presented.