Technology Transfer Department

Application sectors

Problem to solve

Proton sources are of interest in strategic sectors of industry and research, such as aerospace, precision radiotherapy, and radiobiology. The availability of proton sources is very limited, and the waiting times for access are very long. In many cases, the time available for experimental and industrial applications is very restricted because the primary use of the source is different (e.g., proton therapy). TOP-IMPLART is a proton source dedicated to research and development activities as well as irradiation services for industries. Its location, in the south of Rome and near two international airports, makes it easily accessible for users. Potential users include research institutions and universities for institutional or commercial applications, as well as companies and consortia interested in pre-qualification irradiation activities.

Description

The TOP-IMPLART accelerator delivers a pulsed proton beam in two energy ranges, 1–6 MeV and 60–70 MeV, with characteristics that make it suitable for both research and industrial applications. In the aerospace sector, proton beams are valuable for the qualification testing of materials and systems used in space missions. In the fields of life sciences and precision medicine, TOP-IMPLART beams are ideal for dosimeter characterization and conducting experiments on biological models, both in vivo and in vitro. The first energy range (1–6 MeV) can also be utilized for the elemental analysis of cultural heritage artifacts through the PIXE technique. The pulsed proton beam is accessible through two irradiation stations, equipped with remote-controlled motion and diagnostic systems. The first irradiation station (referred to as the "vertical line") provides protons with target energies between 1 MeV and 6 MeV, featuring an RMS energy spread of 90 keV. The beam has a maximum diameter of 16 mm with a homogeneity of ±5%. Pulse durations are adjustable between 15 µs and 60 µs, and the proton flux per pulse ranges from 10^6 to 2×10^7/cm^2/pulse. The second irradiation station (horizontal line) delivers protons at a primary energy of 70 MeV with an energy spread of 0.6 MeV. The proton beam on the target has a diameter of 17 mm (FWHM), containing 3×10^8 protons per pulse with a pulse duration of 2.4 µs. Irradiation of samples up to 10 cm × 10 cm is possible using the magnetic scanning system available on this line. The primary beam energy can be reduced to as low as 20 MeV using passive degraders. Irradiation services are provided by the Particle Accelerators Laboratory personnel, that can also assist users in the definition and realization of custom setup solutions, upon request.

Research group involved