Advancing Medical Accelerators: toward smaller, faster, and more sustainable technologies.

In this seminar I will give an overview of some of the research projects underway in the Medical Accelerator Physics group at the University of Melbourne, with a focus on the future potential of novel accelerator technologies. In particular, I will share our work toward making accelerators smaller, cheaper and more sustainable while increasing their utility in real world applications. Two main projects will be discussed: first, the concept of  ‘scaling down and speeding up’ proton therapy with ultra-rapid dose. A technological breakthrough in accelerator physics has led to the innovative design of a beamline that has the potential to transform proton therapy. We are now building the first scaled experimental technology demonstrator – the TURBO 'Technology for Ultra Rapid Beam Operation' project –  in collaboration with Harvard/MGH and Pyramid Ltd, via a new 7-year collaborative research programme funded by the National Institutes for Health (USA). I will also discuss the X-LAB ‘X-band Laboratory for Accelerators and Beams’ launched in 2023 in collaboration with CERN: this is the first southern hemisphere high power X-band accelerator facility. This facility will transform from a test system into a compact electron accelerator and beamline, unlocking Australia’s capacity to innovate toward compact light sources and Very High Energy Electron radiotherapy.