WO2023243143A1

WO2023243143A1 - Beam monitor device, accelerator, radiation treatment device, and beam measurement method

Info

Publication number: WO2023243143A1
Application number: PCT/JP2023/005535
Authority: WO
Inventors: 沙希子足利; 孝道青木; 孝義関; 風太郎 ▲えび▼名; 貴啓山田
Original assignee: 株式会社日立製作所
Priority date: 2022-06-15
Filing date: 2023-02-16
Publication date: 2023-12-21
Also published as: JP2023183194A

Abstract

Provided is a beam monitor device that makes it possible to grasp the three-dimensional structure of a beam. An imaging unit generates, from each of a plurality of directions intersecting the direction of travel of a proton beam 103, a plurality of captured images of fluorescence generated in response to the proton beam 103. A calculator 13 uses the plurality of captured images as a basis to acquire a three-dimensional beam distribution which is the distribution of the proton beam 103 within a three-dimensional space. A calculator 14 uses the three-dimensional beam distribution as a basis to calculate the position of the proton beam 103 in two directions intersecting the direction of travel of the proton beam 103, and the variance and covariance resulting from momentum.

Description

Beam monitor device, accelerator and radiation therapy device, and beam measurement method

The present disclosure relates to a beam monitor device, an accelerator, a radiation therapy device, and a beam measurement method.

In order to stably supply beams to accelerators used in radiation therapy equipment, etc., it is necessary to monitor the beams in real time. Particularly in charged particle beams with large currents, the beam quality is significantly affected by the space charge in the space through which the charged particle beam passes, so it is important to monitor the state of the charged particle beam.

Non-Patent Document 1 describes the fluorescence generated by the interaction between a charged particle beam and residual gas on its trajectory using a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) camera installed parallel to the trajectory of the charged particle beam. A technique has been disclosed for measuring the envelope and two-dimensional emittance of a charged particle beam by detecting the charged particle beam. With this technology, charged particle beams can be monitored in real time by non-contact measurements that do not involve contacting the charged particle beam with a measuring device, so real-time monitoring without affecting the charged particle beam is possible.

In the technique described in Non-Patent Document 1, emittance and the like are measured by projecting the particle distribution of the beam onto a single plane on which a CCD camera is installed, so it is not possible to detect the particle distribution of the beam three-dimensionally. . For this reason, it is not possible to grasp the three-dimensional structure of the beam, and in particular, the dispersion, covariance, and emittance in a four-dimensional phase space consisting of the position and momentum in two different directions intersecting the beam's traveling direction. There is a problem in that it is not possible to measure

In addition, during the process of transporting the beam, the particle distribution of the beam may be correlated or the topology of the beam may differ in a plane perpendicular to the beam axis due to the interaction between the electric charge of the beam itself and the magnetic field during transport. Sometimes it becomes. Therefore, in order to accurately understand the state of the beam, it is important to understand the three-dimensional structure of the beam, especially to measure the dispersion, covariance, emittance, etc. in the four-dimensional phase space.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a beam monitor device, an accelerator, a radiation therapy device, and a beam measurement method that can grasp the three-dimensional structure of a beam.

A beam monitoring device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a beam monitoring device that monitors a charged particle beam, and includes fluorescence generated in response to the charged particle beam from each of a plurality of directions intersecting the traveling direction of the charged particle beam. an imaging unit that generates a plurality of captured images, an acquisition unit that acquires a three-dimensional beam distribution that is a distribution of the charged particle beam in a three-dimensional space, based on the plurality of captured images; a calculation unit that calculates variance and covariance due to the position and momentum of the charged particle beam in two directions intersecting the traveling direction, based on the beam distribution.

According to the present invention, it is possible to grasp the three-dimensional structure of a beam.

1 is a diagram illustrating a boron neutron capture therapy system according to an example of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining an example of beam monitoring processing. It is a figure showing an example of a three-dimensional beam image.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a boron neutron capture therapy system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. A boron neutron capture therapy system 999 shown in FIG. 1 is a type of radiation therapy apparatus that irradiates a patient with radiation to treat an affected area of the patient, such as cancer. Specifically, the boron neutron capture therapy system 999 irradiates a patient's cancer cells, which have accumulated boron with a drug, with a thermal neutron beam as radiation.

A boron neutron capture therapy system 999 is arranged across an accelerator room 1000, an accelerator operator room 1001, and a treatment room (not shown).

The accelerator chamber 1000 is a room whose interior is a radiation controlled area, and is equipped with a thick shielding wall 1000a made of concrete around the outer periphery to prevent leakage of radiation. Entry of people into the accelerator room 1000 is restricted. Further, in the accelerator room 1000, as components of the boron neutron capture therapy system 999, an accelerator 100, a lithium target 107, a CCD camera 11 constituting the beam monitor 1, and a motor-driven rotating frame 12 are installed. .

The accelerator operating room 1001 is a room in a non-radiation controlled area located near the accelerator room 1000. The accelerator operating room 1001 is equipped with a computer 13, a computer 14, a display device 15, a recording device 16, and a speaker 17, which constitute the beam monitor 1, as components of the boron neutron capture therapy system 999. Note that an accelerator operator 1002 who operates the boron neutron capture therapy system 999 stays in the accelerator operator's room 1001 during radiation therapy. The accelerator operator 1002 understands the state of the beam based on visual information from the display device 15 and auditory information from the speaker 17, and operates the accelerator 100.

The accelerator 100 accelerates and emits a particle beam. In this embodiment, the accelerator 100 is a proton accelerator that emits a proton beam 103, which is a charged particle beam, as a particle beam. It is accelerated until it becomes , and is ejected to the lithium target 107 .

The accelerator 100 includes an ion source 110, a low energy beam transport line 105, and a high frequency quadrupole linear accelerator 106.

The ion source 110 is an emission unit that generates and emits a proton beam. In the example of FIG. 1, the ion source 110 is an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) type ion source, and includes a plasma chamber (not shown) inside, and is further equipped with an extraction electrode 102 and a beam extraction power source 104. have

In the plasma chamber, hydrogen plasma is generated by ionizing hydrogen gas with high-frequency voltage. Protons in the hydrogen plasma are extracted to the outside of the plasma chamber by a voltage applied to the extraction electrode 102 and emitted as a proton beam 103 to a low energy beam transport line 105. The proton beam 103 is a collection of protons that have momentum. Further, the proton beam 103 extracted from the plasma chamber has a current of 25 mA and a kinetic energy of 30 keV in this embodiment.

Specifically, the extraction electrode 102 has two flat electrodes arranged opposite to each other, and when a voltage of 30 kV is applied between these flat electrodes, hydrogen plasma generated in the plasma chamber is removed. The protons inside are accelerated to 30 keV and emitted as a proton beam 103.

The beam extraction power supply 104 is a high voltage power supply and applies a high voltage of 30 kV to the extraction electrode 102. The voltage applied by the beam extraction power source 104 is controlled by the computer 14 via the cable 54. The cable 54 is, for example, a BNC (Bayonet Neill Concelman) cable.

The low energy beam transport line 105 is a transport line whose interior is evacuated and through which a low energy beam passes. In this embodiment, the low energy beam transport line 105 transports the proton beam 103 emitted from the ion source 110 and enters the high frequency quadrupole linear accelerator 106 . The low energy beam transport line 105 includes

solenoid electromagnets

1051 and 1052 and a measurement point 101.

The

solenoid electromagnets

1051 and 1052 have electric wires wound spirally along the traveling direction of the proton beam 103, and the proton beam 103 is powered by currents supplied to the electric wires from the solenoid

electromagnet power supplies

1053 and 1054. It is an electromagnet that induces a magnetic field parallel to the direction of travel. The

solenoid electromagnets

1051 and 1052 apply converging force to the proton beam 103 using the induced magnetic fields, shape the proton beam into a shape that can be accelerated by the high-frequency quadrupole linear accelerator 106, and emit it to the high-frequency quadrupole linear accelerator 106.

The solenoid

electromagnet power supplies

1053 and 1054 are large current output power supplies, and supply current in the range of 20A to 100A to the

solenoid type electromagnets

1051 and 1052. The current supplied by the solenoid

electromagnet power supplies

1053 and 1054 is controlled by the computer 14 via

cables

56 and 57, and its value is changed over time to direct the proton beam 103 to the high frequency quadrupole linear accelerator 106. Form into a shape that can be accelerated.

Cables

56 and 57 are, for example, BNC cables.

The measurement location 101 is a location in the low-energy beam transport line 105 where the side wall portion is formed by a window 108 having light transmittance. The window 108 is made of lead glass, for example. The window 108 is a portion that allows fluorescence generated in response to the proton beam 103 within the low-energy beam transport line 105 to be measured from outside the low-energy beam transport line 105. In this embodiment, the measurement location 101 is the location immediately before the proton beam 103 enters the high-frequency quadrupole linear accelerator 106 from the low-energy beam transport line 105, but it may be another location. For example, the measurement point 101 may be provided in a high frequency quadrupole linear accelerator 106.

The high-frequency quadrupole linear accelerator 106 is an accelerator that accelerates a particle beam along a straight line using a high-frequency voltage that is an acceleration voltage supplied from a high-frequency acceleration source 1055. In this embodiment, the high-frequency quadrupole linear accelerator 106 accelerates the proton beam 103 using a high-frequency voltage while applying a focusing force until the kinetic energy reaches 2.5 MeV, and emits the proton beam 103 to a lithium target 107 .

The acceleration high-frequency source 1055 is a high-frequency source equipped with a vacuum tube that generates microwaves, and supplies a high-frequency voltage for accelerating the proton beam 103 to the high-frequency quadrupole linear accelerator 106. The high frequency voltage supplied by the acceleration high frequency source 1055 is applied to the computer 14 via the cable 58. At this time, the computer 14 can modulate the acceleration frequency and the like. Cable 58 is, for example, a BNC cable.

The lithium target 107 is a conical target mainly made of lithium (Li), and is arranged so that its bottom face faces the high-frequency quadrupole linear accelerator 106 side. The lithium target 107 has a heat removal function using cooling water. The lithium target 107 generates thermal neutrons by causing a ⁷ Li (p, n) ⁷ Be reaction with protons in the proton beam 103 supplied from the accelerator 100, and sends the thermal neutron beam to patients in the treatment room. and emit light.

The CCD camera 11, the motor-driven rotary frame 12, the computer 13, the computer 14, the display device 15, the recording device 16, and the speaker 17 constitute the beam monitor 1. The beam monitor 1 is a beam monitoring device that monitors the proton beam 103 in real time and detects abnormalities in the beam based on the monitoring results.

The CCD camera 11 and the motor-driven rotating mount 12 image fluorescence generated in response to the proton beam 103 from each of a plurality of imaging directions intersecting the traveling direction of the proton beam 103 at the measurement location 101 through the window 108. This constitutes an imaging unit that generates a plurality of captured images corresponding to each imaging direction. The imaging direction is desirably perpendicular to the beam axis direction, which is the traveling direction of the proton beam 103, and in this embodiment, it is substantially perpendicular to the beam axis direction.

The CCD camera 11 is a camera that uses a CCD, which is a semiconductor element, as an imaging element, and measures the position and intensity of fluorescence generated in response to the proton beam 103 at the measurement location 101. The CCD camera 11 is fixed to a motor-driven rotating frame 12 with bolts or the like. Further, the CCD camera 11 is communicably connected to a computer 13 installed in the accelerator operating room 1001 via a cable 50. The cable 50 is, for example, an RJ45 cable.

The motor-driven rotating mount 12 rotates the CCD camera 11 around the proton beam 103 by rotating the CCD camera 11 around the low energy beam transport line 105 with the beam axis direction of the proton beam 103 as the rotation axis direction. This is the drive unit that causes the The motor-driven rotating pedestal 12 includes a guide rail 18, a plate 19, and a motor (not shown).

The guide rail 18 is a rail made by combining two aluminum rings, and is arranged in a ring shape so as to surround the window 108. Plate 19 is supported by guide rail 18. Furthermore, the CCD camera 11 is fixed to the plate 19 with bolts or the like. The plate 19 is driven by a motor and moves along the guardrail 18. As a result, the plate 19 rotates around the proton beam 103 together with the CCD camera 11 fixed thereto, and the CCD camera 11 captures protons from each of a plurality of imaging directions substantially perpendicular to the beam axis direction of the proton beam 103. It becomes possible to image fluorescence according to the beam 103.

The computer 13 is a computer that performs various information processing such as input/output, calculation, and conversion of digital data using electronic circuits. The computer 13 is installed in the accelerator operator's room 1001 and is communicatively connected to the computer 14 via a cable 51. The cable 51 is, for example, an RJ45 cable.

The computer 13 calculates the distribution of fluorescence in a three-dimensional space according to the proton beam 103 based on a plurality of captured images acquired by the CCD camera 11, and calculates the distribution of fluorescence in a three-dimensional space corresponding to the proton beam 103 into a three-dimensional distribution that is the distribution in the three-dimensional space of the proton beam 103. It functions as an acquisition unit that acquires a three-dimensional beam image shown as a beam distribution.

The computer 14 is a computer that performs various information processing such as input/output, calculation, and conversion of digital data using electronic circuits. The computer 14 is communicably connected to a display device 15 via a cable 52 , a recording device 16 via a cable 53 , and a speaker 17 via a cable 55 .

Cables

52 and 53 are, for example, RJ45 cables, and cable 55 is, for example, a coaxial cable.

Based on the three-dimensional beam image generated by the computer 13, the computer 14 calculates dispersion and covariance due to the position and momentum of the proton beam 103 in two directions intersecting (specifically, approximately orthogonal to) the beam axis direction. It functions as a calculation unit that calculates the dispersion/covariance matrix shown and the emittance of the proton beam 103.

Furthermore, the computer 14 determines whether an abnormality has occurred in the proton beam 103 based on the calculation result. Specifically, the computer 14 determines whether each element of the variance/covariance matrix exceeds the threshold value of each element of a predetermined threshold matrix, and whether the emittance exceeds the emittance threshold value. The computer 14 determines whether an abnormality has occurred in the proton beam 103 based on the determination result. If it is determined that an abnormality has occurred, the computer 14 executes feedback processing to control the outputs of the display device 15, speaker 17, beam extraction power source 104, solenoid

electromagnet power sources

1053, 1054, and acceleration high frequency source 1055.

Note that the

computers

13 and 14 may be computer systems having a memory that records a computer program and a processor that reads the computer program recorded in the memory and executes the read computer program to achieve the above functions. .

The variance/covariance matrix is a real symmetric matrix with 4 rows and 4 columns, and represents the correlation between the position and momentum in two mutually different directions intersecting the beam axis direction. Emittance is an index (numerical value) representing the quality of the beam, and is a value obtained by calculating the determinant of the variance/covariance matrix. The threshold matrix is a real symmetric matrix with 4 rows and 4 columns, and the element in the i row and j column of the threshold matrix is the threshold corresponding to the element in the i row and j column of the variance/covariance matrix. A more detailed explanation of the variance/covariance matrix and emittance will be given later.

The display device 15 is a device that displays various information such as characters, figures, and graphics, and is installed in the accelerator cab 1001. The display device 15 displays, for example, the three-dimensional beam image acquired by the computer 13 and the variance/covariance matrix and emittance calculated by the computer 14 in real time, and notifies the accelerator operator 1002 of the three-dimensional beam image.

The recording device 16 is a device that has a recording medium (not shown) such as a magnetic tape and writes information on the recording medium. In this embodiment, the recording device 16 sequentially writes and records the three-dimensional beam image acquired by the computer 13 and the dispersion/covariance matrix and emittance calculated by the computer 14 on a recording medium.

The speaker 17 is an audio output device that converts electrical signals into audio, and is installed in the accelerator operator's cab 1001. The speaker 17 receives an electrical signal from the computer 14 when an abnormality is detected in which the proton beam 103 is determined to be abnormal, and outputs an alarm sound according to the electrical signal to alert the accelerator operator 1002 (proton beam 103 Functions as a notification section to notify of abnormalities).

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining an example of beam monitoring processing for monitoring the proton beam 103.

In the beam monitoring process, first, the computer 14 receives a threshold matrix and an emittance threshold, which is a threshold for emittance, from the accelerator operator 1002, and sets the threshold matrix and emittance threshold to itself (step S1).

Subsequently, the computer 14 activates the beam extraction power supply 104 in accordance with the instructions from the accelerator operator 1002, starts the generation and emission of the proton beam 103 by the ion source 110, and also starts the solenoid

electromagnet power supplies

1053, 1054 and the acceleration high frequency The source 1055 is controlled to accelerate the proton beam 103 (step S2). Thereby, the proton beam 103 emitted from the ion source 110 is accelerated via the low energy beam transport line 105 and the high frequency quadrupole linear accelerator 106 and is irradiated onto the lithium target 107. As a result, ^{a 7} Li (p, n) ⁷ Be reaction occurs between the lithium target 107 and the proton beam 103, and a thermal neutron beam is generated and irradiated to the patient in the treatment room.

According to instructions from the computer 13, the CCD camera 11 images fluorescence corresponding to the proton beam 103 emitted from the ion source 110, generates a captured image, and transmits the captured image to the computer 13 (step S3).

Specifically, the proton beam 103 generates fluorescence when the proton beam 103 itself or nitrogen excited by the proton beam 103 captures electrons in the low energy beam transport line 105. The CCD camera 11 images this fluorescence through a window 108 made of lead glass provided at the measurement location 101. Further, the CCD camera 11 is fixed to a plate 19 of a motor-driven rotary frame 12 and moves along a guide rail 18 arranged in an annular manner so as to surround the window 108. Then, the CCD camera 11 images fluorescence corresponding to the proton beam 103 from a plurality of directions while rotating around the proton beam 103. The captured images acquired by imaging are sequentially transmitted to the computer 13. In this embodiment, the CCD camera 11 images fluorescence from at least four different imaging directions.

The computer 13 receives a plurality of captured images from the CCD camera 11, generates a three-dimensional beam image based on the plurality of captured images, and transmits the three-dimensional beam image to the computer 14 (step S4). At this time, the computer 13 can generate a three-dimensional beam image by, for example, performing inverse Radon transformation on a plurality of captured images.

The computer 14 receives the three-dimensional beam image from the computer 13, and calculates the dispersion/covariance matrix and emittance of the proton beam 103 based on the three-dimensional beam image. The computer 14 transmits the variance/covariance matrix and emittance that are the calculation results to the display device 15 and the recording device 16 (step S5). When the display device 15 receives the calculation result, it displays the calculation result, and when the recording device 16 receives the calculation result, it records the calculation result (step S6).

The computer 14 also compares each element of the dispersion/covariance matrix with the threshold value of each element of the threshold matrix, and also compares the emittance with the emittance threshold value to determine whether an abnormality has occurred in the proton beam 103. (Step S7). In this embodiment, the computer 14 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the proton beam 103 if any value exceeds the threshold (including the emittance threshold), and if all values do not exceed the threshold, It is determined that no abnormality has occurred in the proton beam 103.

If no abnormality has occurred (step S7: No), the process returns to step S3. On the other hand, if an abnormality has occurred (step S7: Yes), the computer 14 transmits a beam stop signal to the speaker 17 and the beam extraction power source 104. When the speaker 17 receives the beam stop signal, it outputs an alarm sound to notify that the beam will be stopped because an abnormality has occurred in the proton beam 103. When the beam extraction power supply 104 receives the beam stop signal, it stops supplying power to the extraction electrode 102, stops the ion source 110 from emitting the proton beam 103 (step S8), and ends the process.

Next, the process of step S5 by the computer 14 will be explained in more detail.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a three-dimensional beam image used by the computer 14. A three-dimensional beam image 201 shown in FIG. 3 is an image showing a three-dimensional distribution of fluorescence according to the proton beam 103, and in this embodiment, it is regarded as an image showing the three-dimensional distribution of the proton beam 103.

The example in FIG. 3 shows a state in which the proton beam 103 is being transported from left to right. In addition, in FIG. 3, the beam axis direction of the proton beam 103 is the s-axis direction, the left direction in the horizontal direction when viewed from the beam axis direction is the positive direction of the _x1 axis, and the upward direction in the vertical direction perpendicular to the beam axis direction is the x3 _axis direction. The direction is positive. Further, the brightness center (x ₁ , x ₃ , s) _center of the proton beam 103 calculated from Equation 1 using the brightness distribution ρ (x ₁ , x ₃ , s) of the three-dimensional beam image 201 is set as the origin.

The dispersion/covariance matrix Σ(s) of the proton beam 103 is defined by Equation 2, and the emittance ε(s) is defined by Equation 3.

The variance/covariance matrix Σ(s) is a real symmetric matrix, and the emittance ε(s) is the determinant of the variance/covariance matrix Σ(s). In Equations 2 and 3, x ₁ (s) is the position of the particle (proton) constituting the proton beam 103 in the x ₁ axis direction, x ₃ (s) is the position of the particle in the x ₃ axis direction, and x ₂ ( s) is the inclination of the trajectory of the particle in the x1 _- axis direction, and _x4 is the inclination of the trajectory of the particle in the x2 _- axis direction, each expressed as a function of the beam axis direction s. The slope x ₂ (s) corresponds to the momentum of the particle in the x ₁ direction, and the slope x ₄ (s) corresponds to the momentum of the particle in the x ₃ direction. Therefore, the variables x ₁ (s) to x ₄ (s) are four-dimensional phases composed of positions and momentums in two different directions intersecting (specifically, orthogonal to) the beam axis direction s of the proton beam 103. Corresponds to coordinates in space. In addition, the diagonal component <x _i ² (s)> in the variance/covariance matrix Σ(s) indicates the variance of the variable x _i (s), and the off-diagonal component <x _i (s) x _j (s )> indicates the covariance of the variable x _i (s) and the variable x _j (s). Note that the square of x _i (s) ({x _i (s)} ² ) is expressed as x _i ² (s).

As shown in Equation 4, the element Σ ij (s) in the i row and j column (i≠j) that does not include the slopes x ₂ (s) and x ₄ (s) in the variance/covariance matrix _Σ (s) is It is calculated by a weighted average of a function x _i (s) x _j (s) weighted by the brightness distribution ρ (x ₁ , x ₃ , s) of the three-dimensional beam image 201. Note that the brightness distribution ρ(x ₁ , x ₃ , s) and the positions x ₁ (s) and x ₃ (s) are calculated from the three-dimensional beam image 201.

In addition, the element Σ ij (s) in the i-th row and the j-th column including the slopes x ₂ (s) and _x ₄ (s) in the variance/covariance matrix Σ (s) is calculated in steps S11 to S13 below. .

_{Step S11: Based on the three-dimensional beam image 201, the computer 14 calculates the variances <x 1} ₂ _> ^and <x ₃ ² > is calculated. The interval Δs is determined by Δs=Ls/NpH, for example, depending on the total length Ls of the three-dimensional beam image in the s-axis direction and the number of pixels NpH in the s-axis direction of the CCD camera 11, and is, for example, 0.05 mm to 0. It is about .1mm.

Step S12: _The calculator 14 fits the variables _{x 1} ₍ s) and ^x ³ ₍ Obtain the variances <x ₁ ² (s)> and <x ₃ ² (s)> of s) as functions of the variable s. Note that the envelope equation shown by Equation 5 is an envelope equation that takes into account only the air charge of the proton beam itself in free space. Furthermore, in Equation 5, p1 to p4 are fitting parameters.

Step S13: As shown in Equation 6, the computer 14 performs first-order differentiation in the s-axis direction for the variances <x ₁ ² (s)> and <x ₃ ² (s)>, so that the covariance < x ₁ (s)x ₂ (s)> and <x ₃ (s)x ₄ (s)> are calculated.

Further, regarding the variances <x _{2 2} ⁽ s)> and <x ₄ ² (s)> of the slopes x ₂ (s) and x ₄ (s), the computer 14 calculates the variance <x ₁ ² (s)> and <x ₃ ² (s)> by performing second-order differentiation in the s-axis direction.

Also, the covariances of the positions x ₁ (s) and x ₃ (s) and the slopes x ₂ (s) and x ₄ (s) are <x ₁ (s)x ₄ (s)> and <x ₂ (s)x ₃ (s)>, the variance of the positions x ₁ (s) and x ₃ (s) < x ₁ ² (s )> and <x ₃ ² (s)>. Furthermore, as shown in Equation 9, the angular velocity ω is related to the first differential in the s-axis direction of the covariance <x ₁ (s) x ₃ (s)> of the positions x ₁ (s) and x ₃ (s). Can be attached.

Therefore, the computer 14 calculates the covariances <x ₁ (s)x ₄ (s)> and <x ₂ (s)x ₃ (s)> from the covariances <x ₁ (s)x ₃ (s)> Calculated based on the dependence of the s-axis direction.

Specifically, the computer 14 first calculates the covariance <x ₁ x ₃ > of the variables x ₁ (s) and x ₃ (s) at predetermined intervals Δs along the s-axis. Next, the calculator 14 fits <x ₁ x ₃ >, <x ₁ ² (s)>, and <x ₃ ² (s)> calculated for each interval Δs using the differential equation shown in Equation 9. , obtain ω as a fitting parameter. Then, the computer 14 uses the fitting parameter ω and Equation 8 to calculate covariances <x ₁ (s)x ₄ (s)> and <x ₂ (s)x ₃ (s)>. Furthermore, the functions calculated in step S12 described above are used as the variances <x ₁ ² (s)> and <x ₃ ² (s)>.

Further, the calculator 14 calculates the amount of change Δ<x ₁ x ₃ > in the covariance <x ₁ x ₃ >/the amount of change Δ in Δs at each predetermined interval Δs along the s-axis (Δ<x ₁ x ₃ >) /Δs ² is calculated for each interval Δs. Since this value satisfies the relationship shown in Equation 10 with the covariance between the slopes <x ₂ (s) x ₄ (s)>, the calculator ₁₄ calculates <x ₂ (s) )> is calculated.

With the above, all elements of the variance/covariance matrix can be calculated, and furthermore, the emittance is calculated as the determinant of the variance/covariance matrix.

Next, the process of step S7 by the computer 14 will be explained in more detail.

The computer 14 assigns predetermined values (here, 0) to the variance/covariance matrix and the emittance variable s. Furthermore, since both the variance/covariance matrix and the threshold matrix are real symmetric matrices, the computer 14 sets the element in the i row and j column to 0 when i<j in the variance/covariance matrix and the threshold matrix. Then, the difference matrix is calculated by subtracting the variance/covariance matrix from the threshold matrix. The calculator 14 determines whether each element in row i and column j, where i≧j, in the difference matrix is positive or negative. The computer 14 determines that an abnormality has occurred when a negative determination is obtained. Similarly, the calculator 14 determines whether the difference value obtained by subtracting the emittance from the emittance threshold value is positive or negative, and if the difference value is negative, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred.

The configuration, functions, and operations described above are merely examples and are not limited thereto. For example, in this embodiment, the beam monitor 1 monitors the beam of the accelerator 100 for the boron neutron capture therapy system 999, but the accelerator that performs beam monitoring is not limited to this example. It may be an accelerator for fusion or an accelerator for particle beam therapy. Further, although the accelerator 100 is a linear accelerator, the accelerator for beam monitoring may be a circular accelerator or the like.

Further, the CCD camera 11 was used as the camera of the beam monitor 1, but instead of the CCD camera 11, for example, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) camera, a multi-channel photomultiplier tube, or a silicon photomultiplier tube (SIPM) can be used. :Silicon Photomultiplier) array etc. may be used. Furthermore, although the CCD camera 11 and the motor-driven rotary mount 12 were used to acquire captured images from each of a plurality of directions, it is possible to arrange multiple cameras to surround the window 108 of the measurement point 101. , captured images may be acquired from each of a plurality of directions. Moreover, the functions of the

computers

13 and 14 may be realized by one computer, or may be realized by three or more computers.

Further, when an abnormality occurs in the proton beam 103, the computer 14 may adjust the state of the proton beam 103 by controlling the solenoid

electromagnet power supplies

1053, 1054, the acceleration high-frequency source 1055, etc. For example, the calculator 14 calculates the value and period of the electromagnet current supplied from the solenoid

electromagnet power supplies

1053 and 1054 to the

solenoid type electromagnets

1051 and 1052, and the value of the acceleration voltage supplied from the acceleration high frequency source 1055 to the high frequency quadrupole linear accelerator 106. A control signal indicating the period and the like is transmitted to the solenoid

electromagnet power supplies

1053, 1054 and the acceleration high frequency source 1055, thereby controlling the solenoid

electromagnet power supplies

1053, 1054 and the acceleration high frequency source 1055.

At this time, the computer 14 determines the electromagnet current and accelerating voltage indicated by the control signal based on the dispersion/covariance matrix and emittance. For example, the computer 14 maintains a lookup table showing the relationship between each element of the dispersion/covariance matrix and emittance, and the electromagnet current and accelerating voltage, and based on the lookup table, calculates the dispersion/covariance that exceeds a threshold value. Determine the electromagnet current and accelerating voltage according to the elements of the dispersion matrix or emittance.

Furthermore, the captured images only need to be acquired from two different directions. In this case, a three-dimensional beam image can be generated by creating symmetry in the shape of the proton beam 103.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the imaging unit generates a plurality of captured images of fluorescence generated according to the proton beam 103 from each of a plurality of directions intersecting the traveling direction of the proton beam 103. . The computer 13 obtains a three-dimensional beam distribution, which is a distribution of the proton beam 103 in a three-dimensional space, based on a plurality of captured images. The computer 14 calculates the dispersion and covariance due to the position and momentum of the proton beam 103 in two directions intersecting the traveling direction of the proton beam 103 based on the three-dimensional beam distribution. Therefore, since the dispersion and covariance due to the position and momentum of the proton beam 103 represent the three-dimensional structure of the beam, it is possible to grasp the three-dimensional structure of the beam.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the emittance of the proton beam 103 is calculated based on the above-mentioned dispersion and covariance, so it is possible to more accurately understand the three-dimensional structure of the beam.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the CCD camera 11 rotates around the proton beam 103, so that captured images are acquired from multiple directions. Therefore, since it is not necessary to prepare a plurality of CCD cameras 11, it is possible to understand the three-dimensional structure of the beam while reducing costs.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the computer 14 determines whether an abnormality has occurred in the proton beam 103 based on the dispersion and covariance. Therefore, it is possible to accurately determine abnormalities in the beam based on the three-dimensional structure of the beam.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, if an abnormality occurs in the proton beam 103, an alarm is notified, so that the accelerator operator 1002 can understand the abnormality in the proton beam 103.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, when an abnormality occurs in the proton beam 103, the emission of the proton beam 103 is stopped, so it is possible to suppress the abnormal proton beam 103 from being emitted.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, when an abnormality occurs in the proton beam 103, the state of the proton beam is adjusted based on the dispersion and covariance, so that it is possible to suppress the abnormal proton beam 103 from being emitted. It becomes possible.

The embodiments of the present disclosure described above are examples for explaining the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure only to those embodiments. Those skilled in the art can implement the present disclosure in various other ways without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

1: Beam monitor 11: CCD camera 12: Motor-driven rotating frame 13: Computer 14: Computer 15: Display device 16: Recording device 17: Speaker 18: Guide rail 19: Plate 100: Accelerator 101: Measurement point 102: Extraction electrode 103: Proton beam 104: Beam extraction power supply 105: Low energy beam transport line 106: High frequency quadrupole linear accelerator 107: Lithium target 108: Window 110: Ion source 999: Boron neutron capture therapy system 1000: Accelerator room 1000a: Shielding wall 1001: Accelerator operator's room 1002: Accelerator operator 1051: Solenoid electromagnet 1053: Solenoid electromagnet power supply 1054: Solenoid electromagnet power supply 1055: High frequency source for acceleration

Claims

A beam monitoring device for monitoring a charged particle beam,
an imaging unit that generates a plurality of images of fluorescence generated in response to the charged particle beam from each of a plurality of directions intersecting the traveling direction of the charged particle beam;
an acquisition unit that acquires a three-dimensional beam distribution that is a distribution of the charged particle beam in a three-dimensional space based on the plurality of captured images;
A beam monitoring device comprising: a calculation unit that calculates variance and covariance due to the position and momentum of the charged particle beam in two directions intersecting the traveling direction, based on the three-dimensional beam distribution.
The beam monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit calculates the emittance of the charged particle beam based on the dispersion and the covariance.
The imaging unit includes:
a camera that images the fluorescence to generate the captured image;
The beam monitoring device according to claim 1, further comprising: a drive unit that rotates the camera around the charged particle beam with the traveling direction of the charged particle beam as a rotation axis direction.
The beam monitor device according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit determines whether an abnormality has occurred in the charged particle beam based on the variance and the covariance.
The beam monitoring device according to claim 4, further comprising a notification unit that notifies an alarm when an abnormality occurs in the charged particle beam.
An accelerator that accelerates and emits a charged particle beam,
an emission section that generates the charged particle beam; a transport line that transports the charged particle beam generated in the emission section;
The beam monitor device according to claim 1,
The transport line has a measurement point whose wall portion is formed of a window having light transmittance,
The imaging unit of the beam monitor device is an accelerator that images the fluorescence through the window.
The calculation unit of the beam monitoring device determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the charged particle beam based on the variance and the covariance, and when an abnormality has occurred in the charged particle beam, the calculation unit determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the charged particle beam. The accelerator according to claim 6, wherein emission of the charged particle beam is stopped.
The calculation unit of the beam monitoring device determines whether an abnormality has occurred in the charged particle beam based on the dispersion and the covariance, and when an abnormality has occurred in the charged particle beam, the calculation unit determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the charged particle beam. 7. The accelerator of claim 6, wherein the state of the charged particle beam is adjusted based on covariance.
The accelerator according to claim 6,
A radiation therapy apparatus comprising: an irradiation device that irradiates the charged particle beam from the accelerator.
A beam measurement method using a beam monitor device for monitoring a charged particle beam, the method comprising:
generating a plurality of captured images capturing fluorescence generated in response to the charged particle beam from each of a plurality of directions intersecting the traveling direction of the charged particle beam;
Obtaining a three-dimensional beam distribution that is a distribution of the charged particle beam in a three-dimensional space based on the plurality of captured images;
A beam measurement method that calculates variance and covariance of the position and momentum of the charged particle beam in two directions intersecting the traveling direction based on the three-dimensional beam distribution.