Design of a Detector Electronics System for Feedback Control of Proton Beam Intensity in the LLUMC Proton Medical Accelerator

Sponsor
Optivus Technology, Inc.
Year
1999 – 2000
Advisors
  • Richard Campbell Haskell
  • Samuel (Sam) Tanenbaum

Optivus Technology uses a proton accelerator as a radiation source for treating cancer patients. The current method of attacking tumors with the proton beam has been successful, but Optivus would like to improve the treatment by using a raster-scanning technique, requiring a much tighter control on the beam intensity. Our goal is to develop an improved electronics system to process the output of a beam intensity detector, allowing a feedback loop to control the beam at a much higher bandwidth.

The Physics Clinic program presents opportunities for students to work on practical projects relevant to industrial work. Students work on teams of 3–5 on a sponsored research or development project.