CPC A61N 5/1045 (2013.01) [A61N 5/1031 (2013.01); A61N 5/1043 (2013.01); A61N 5/1065 (2013.01); A61N 5/1079 (2013.01); A61N 2005/1087 (2013.01)] | 21 Claims |
1. A system comprising:
a particle accelerator to apply a particle beam to treat an irradiation target in a patient located in a treatment room, the irradiation target comprising multiple sub-volumes, the particle beam being applied to the irradiation target at an ultra-high dose rate;
an energy degrader comprising:
multiple structures, each structure of the multiple structures for changing an energy of the particle beam as the particle beam passes through the structure, each structure of the multiple structures comprising boron carbide; and
actuators, each actuator for controlling movement of a corresponding one of the multiple structures into and out of a beam field of the particle beam;
wherein the energy degrader is located in the treatment room; and
a control system configured to perform operations comprising: (A) prior to application of the particle beam to a sub-volume of the irradiation target, controlling the energy degrader to move one or more of the multiple structures from a retracted position outside of the beam field to a pre-position within the beam field that is proximate to the sub-volume, and (B) after the one or more of the multiple structures are at the pre-position, controlling the one or more of the multiple structures to move between (i) the pre-position and (ii) a location between a beamline of the particle accelerator and the sub-volume so that the one or more of the multiple structures are between the particle beam and the sub-volume during application of the particle beam to the sub-volume.
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