Medical Accelerator Research: Advanced accelerator technologies for future needs - Suzie Sheehy

Suzie Sheehy
University of Melbourne
Particle accelerators emerged from fundamental physics research and have revolutionised many areas of science: 28% of Nobel Prizes in Physics since 1938 are attributable to developments in accelerator science. It is also well known that they have direct societal benefits, including in medicine, industry, cultural heritage and even forensics. 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 Australia. In particular, I will share our work toward making accelerators smaller, cheaper and more sustainable while increasing their utility in real world applications. In 2023, our group inaugurated the X-LAB ‘X-band Laboratory for Accelerators and Beams’ in collaboration with CERN: the first southern hemisphere high power X-band accelerator facility, I will share our progress toward the creation of our compact electron accelerator and beamline, unlocking Australia’s capacity to innovate in compact light sources and Very High Energy Electron radiotherapy. I will also share our work toward ultra-rapid dose delivery in proton therapy, and innovative designs of a scaled experimental technology demonstrator - the TURBO 'Technology for Ultra Rapid Beam Operation' project - which forms a core part of a new 7-year collaborative research programme funded by the National Institutes for Health (USA).