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Design and demonstration of a distributed-coupling linear accelerator structure

We present a topology for linear accelerators (linacs) in which the power is distributed to the cavities through a waveguide with periodic apertures that guarantees the correct phases and amplitudes along the structure length. Unlike conventional traveling and standing-wave linacs, the presented topology allows the cavity shapes to be designed without the constraints applied to the coupling between cells to transfer power from one cell to the next. Therefore, the topology permits more degrees of freedom for the optimization of individual cavity shapes in comparison with conventional linacs. The cavity shapes can be optimized for power consumption and efficiency, and/or the manipulation of the surface fields for high gradient operation. This topology also provides a possibility for low-temperature manufacturing techniques that prevent the annealing of the material during typical brazing processes; hence, the material could retain its original properties such as hardness. We present a design and an experimental demonstration of this linac.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Surrogate models for linear response

Linear response theory is a well-established method in physics and chemistry for exploring excitations of many-body systems. In particular, the quasiparticle random-phase approximation (QRPA) provides a powerful microscopic framework by building excitations on top of the mean-field vacuum; however, its high computational cost limits model calibration and uncertainty quantification studies. Here, we present two complementary QRPA surrogate models and apply them to study response functions of finite nuclei. One is a reduced-order model that exploits the underlying QRPA structure, while the other utilizes the recently developed parametric matrix model algorithm to construct a map between the system’s Hamiltonian and observables. Our benchmark applications, the calculation of the electric dipole polarizability of 180 Yb and the 𝛽-decay half-life of 80 Ni, show that both emulators can achieve 0.1%–1% accuracy while offering a 6–7 orders of magnitude speedup compared to state-of-the-art QRPA solvers. These results demonstrate that the developed QRPA emulators are well positioned to enable Bayesian calibration and large-scale studies of computationally expensive physics models describing the properties of many-body systems.

Beta decay↗

The linear phase correction of modulation of intensity emerging from zero effort (MIEZE) with magnetic Wollaston prisms

This study proposes the use of two magnetic Wollaston prisms (MWPs) to correct for the linear Larmor phase aberration of modulation of intensity emerging from zero effort (MIEZE), introduced by the transverse size of the sample. With this approach, the contrast of the intensity modulation can be maximized at any scattering angle of interest such that the same contrast as the direct transmission geometry can be fully recovered. The optimum magnetic fields required for the MWPs depend only on the scattering angle and the frequencies of the radio-frequency flippers, and they are independent of the neutron wavelength and beam divergence, which makes the approach suitable for both pulsed and continuous neutron sources.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Negative linear compressibility in Se at ultra-high pressure above 120 GPa

A series of in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements were carried out, combined with first-principles calculations, to study structural phase transitions of selenium at high pressures and room temperature. Several phase transitions were observed, among which an isostructural phase transition was found at around 120 GPa for the first time. Evolved from the rhombohedral (space group R$\bar{3}$m) structure (Se-V), the new phase (Se-V') exhibited an interesting increase of lattice parameter a at pressures from 120 to 148 GPa, known as negative linear compressibility (NLC). The discovery of NLC behavior observed in this work is mainly attributed to the accuracy and fine steps controlled by the membrane system for in situ XRD data collected with an exposure time of 0.5 s. After 140 GPa, a body-centered cubic (b.c.c.) structure Se-VI (space group Im$\bar{3}$m) was formed, which remains stable up to 210 GPa, the highest pressure achieved in this study. The bulk moduli of phases Se-V, Se-V' and Se-VI were estimated to be 83 ± 2, 321 ± 2 and 266 ± 7 GPa, respectively, according to the P–V curve fit by the third-order Birch–Murnaghan equation of state. The Se-V' phase shows a bulk modulus almost 4 times larger than that of the Se-V phase, which is mainly due to the effect of its NLC. NLC in a higher pressure range is always more significant in terms of fundamental mechanism and new materials discovery, yet it has barely been reported at pressures above 100 GPa. This will hopefully inspire future studies on potential NLC behaviors in other materials at ultra-high pressure.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Beam Envelope Stability in an Advanced Linear Induction Accelerator

A new linear induction accelerator (LIA) is under development for multipulse flash radiography. Because it has substantially more cells than present LIAs, higher magnetic focusing fields are needed to suppress beam breakup (BBU). It is, therefore, more susceptible to the parametric beam envelope instability (PEI), which has an instability threshold that has usually been typified by the vacuum phase advance per cell exceeding some large fraction of π . Here we derive a threshold criterion for PEI that depends not only on the magnetic field, but also on the beam space charge and emittance. A tune designed to suppress BBU in Scorpius is shown to be stable to the PEI according to this criterion, and also by the lack of emittance growth in particle-in-cell (PIC) code simulations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Electron-Beam Corkscrew Motion in an Advanced Linear Induction Accelerator

Scorpius is a multipulse linear induction accelerator (LIA) under development for flash radiography. Because it has substantially more cells than present LIAs, higher magnetic focusing fields are needed to suppress beam breakup (BBU). Therefore, it is more susceptible to corkscrew motion of the beam, which also depends on beam energy spread and focusing magnet misalignments. For energy spread and alignment tolerances expected for Scorpius, a magnetic tune designed to suppress BBU is shown to produce corkscrew motion within the range that can be controlled through the use of steering dipoles on existing LIAs. Finally, a gap-voltage modulation scheme is shown to almost completely eliminate chromatic effects such as corkscrew.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Optimal Allocation of Dynamic Var Sources Using the Voronoi Diagram Method Integrating Linear Programing

Dynamic reactive power (var) sources can effectively mitigate fault-induced delayed voltage recovery (FIDVR) issues. This paper optimizes the sizes of dynamic var sources at given locations against FIDVR issues under severe contingencies. First, the geometric characteristics about the non-convex solution space of this problem are studied. Accordingly, a Voronoi diagram approach integrating linear programming (LP) is proposed, which disperses a number of sample points of potential solutions in the searching space to construct a Voronoi diagram blending the local cost functions over the entire space by Barycentric interpolation in Voronoi regions. New sample points are then recursively added, including the tentative optimal point using LP, the most depopulated area point ensuring global fidelity, and the connecting point, until the stopping criterion is met. The new approach is demonstrated in detail on the WSCC 9-bus system. A case study on the NPCC 140-bus system also validates that the proposed approach can effectively estimate the boundary and the geometry of the feasible solution region in the searching space and find the optimal solution.

barycentric interpolation↗

Nonparametric Prediction Intervals of Wind Power via Linear Programming

This letter proposes a machine learning-based linear programming model that quickly establishes the nonparametric prediction intervals of wind power by integrating extreme learning machine and quantile regression. The proportions of quantiles can be adaptively determined via sensitivity analysis. The proposed method has been proven to be significantly efficient and reliable, with a high application potential in power systems.

extreme learning machine↗

Load-Flow in Multiphase Distribution Networks: Existence, Uniqueness, Non-Singularity, and Linear Models

This paper considers unbalanced multiphase distribution systems with generic topology and different load models, and extends the Z-bus iterative load-flow algorithm based on a fixed-point interpretation of the AC load-flow equations. Explicit conditions for existence and uniqueness of load-flow solutions are presented. These conditions also guarantee convergence of the load-flow algorithm to the unique solution. The proposed methodology is applicable to generic systems featuring (i) wye connections; (ii) ungrounded delta connections; (iii) a combination of wye-connected and delta-connected sources/loads; and, (iv) a combination of line-to-line and line-to-grounded-neutral devices at the secondary of distribution transformers. Further, a sufficient condition for the non-singularity of the load-flow Jacobian is proposed. Lastly, linear load-flow models are derived, and their approximation accuracy is analyzed. Theoretical results are corroborated through experiments on IEEE test feeders.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Direct-Steam Linear Fresnel Performance Model for NREL's System Advisor Model

This paper presents the technical formulation and demonstrated model performance results of a new direct-steam-generation (DSG) model in NREL's System Advisor Model (SAM). The model predicts the annual electricity production of a wide range of system configurations within the DSG Linear Fresnel technology by modeling hourly performance of the plant in detail. The quasi-steady-state formulationallows users to investigate energy and mass flows, operating temperatures, and pressure drops for geometries and solar field configurations of interest. The model includes tools for heat loss calculation using either empirical polynomial heat loss curves as a function of steam temperature, ambient temperature, and wind velocity, or a detailed evacuated tube receiver heat loss model. Thermallosses are evaluated using a computationally efficient nodal approach, where the solar field and headers are discretized into multiple nodes where heat losses, thermal inertia, steam conditions (including pressure, temperature, enthalpy, etc.) are individually evaluated during each time step of the simulation. This paper discusses the mathematical formulation for the solar field model anddescribes how the solar field is integrated with the other subsystem models, including the power cycle and optional auxiliary fossil system. Model results are also presented to demonstrate plant behavior in the various operating modes.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Commissioning of the Varian TrueBeam linear accelerator: A multi-institutional study

Purpose: Latest generation linear accelerators (linacs), i.e., TrueBeam (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA) and its stereotactic counterpart, TrueBeam STx, have several unique features, including high-dose-rate flattening-filter-free (FFF) photon modes, reengineered electron modes with new scattering foil geometries, updated imaging hardware/software, and a novel control system. An evaluation of five TrueBeam linacs at three different institutions has been performed and this work reports on the commissioning experience. Methods: Acceptance and commissioning data were analyzed for five TrueBeam linacs equipped with 120 leaf (5 mm width) MLCs at three different institutions. Dosimetric data and mechanical parameters were compared. These included measurements of photon beam profiles (6X, 6XFFF, 10X, 10XFFF, 15X), photon and electron percent depth dose (PDD) curves (6, 9, 12 MeV), relative photon output factors (Scp), electron cone factors, mechanical isocenter accuracy, MLC transmission, and dosimetric leaf gap (DLG). End-to-end testing and IMRT commissioning were also conducted. Results: Gantry/collimator isocentricity measurements were similar (0.27-0.28 mm), with overall couch/gantry/collimator values of 0.46-0.68 mm across the three institutions. Dosimetric data showed good agreement between machines. The average MLC DLGs for 6, 10, and 15 MV photons were 1.33 {+-} 0.23, 1.57 {+-} 0.24, and 1.61 {+-} 0.26 mm, respectively. 6XFFF and 10XFFF modes had average DLGs of 1.16 {+-} 0.22 and 1.44 {+-} 0.30 mm, respectively. MLC transmission showed minimal variation across the three institutions, with the standard deviation <0.2% for all linacs. Photon and electron PDDs were comparable for all energies. 6, 10, and 15 MV photon beam quality, %dd(10){sub x} varied less than 0.3% for all linacs. Output factors (Scp) and electron cone factors agreed within 0.27%, on average; largest variations were observed for small field sizes (1.2% coefficient of variation, 10 MV, 2 Multiplication-Sign 2 cm{sup 2}) and small cone sizes (<1% coefficient of variation, 6 Multiplication-Sign 6 cm{sup 2} cone), respectively. Conclusions: Overall, excellent agreement was observed in TrueBeam commissioning data. This set of multi-institutional data can provide comparison data to others embarking on TrueBeam commissioning, ultimately improving the safety and quality of beam commissioning.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Measurement of changes in linear accelerator photon energy through flatness variation using an ion chamber array

Purpose: To compare the use of flatness versus percent depth dose (PDD) for determining changes in photon beam energy for a megavoltage linear accelerator. Methods: Energy changes were accomplished by adjusting the bending magnet current by up to {+-}15% in 5% increments away from the value used clinically. Two metrics for flatness, relative flatness in the central 80% of the field (Flat) and average maximum dose along the diagonals normalized by central axis dose (F{sub DN}), were measured using a commercially available planner ionization chamber array. PDD was measured in water at depths of 5 and 10 cm in 3 Multiplication-Sign 3 cm{sup 2} and 10 Multiplication-Sign 10 cm{sup 2} fields using a cylindrical chamber. Results: PDD was more sensitive to changes in energy when the beam energy was increased than when it was decreased. For the 18-MV beam in particular, PDD was not sensitive to energy reductions below the nominal energy. The value of Flat was found to be more sensitive to decreases in energy than to increases, with little sensitivity to energy increases above the nominal energy for 18-MV beams. F{sub DN} was the only metric that was found to be sensitive to both increases and reductions of energy for both the 6- and 18-MV beams. Conclusions: Flatness based metrics were found to be more sensitive to energy changes than PDD, In particular, F{sub DN} was found to be the most sensitive metric to energy changes for photon beams of 6 and 18 MV. The ionization chamber array allows this metric to be conveniently measured as part of routine accelerator quality assurance.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

A linear programming model for optimizing HDR brachytherapy dose distributions with respect to mean dose in the DVH-tail

Purpose: Recent research has shown that the optimization model hitherto used in high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy corresponds weakly to the dosimetric indices used to evaluate the quality of a dose distribution. Although alternative models that explicitly include such dosimetric indices have been presented, the inclusion of the dosimetric indices explicitly yields intractable models. The purpose of this paper is to develop a model for optimizing dosimetric indices that is easier to solve than those proposed earlier.Methods: In this paper, the authors present an alternative approach for optimizing dose distributions for HDR brachytherapy where dosimetric indices are taken into account through surrogates based on the conditional value-at-risk concept. This yields a linear optimization model that is easy to solve, and has the advantage that the constraints are easy to interpret and modify to obtain satisfactory dose distributions.Results: The authors show by experimental comparisons, carried out retrospectively for a set of prostate cancer patients, that their proposed model corresponds well with constraining dosimetric indices. All modifications of the parameters in the authors' model yield the expected result. The dose distributions generated are also comparable to those generated by the standard model with respect to the dosimetric indices that are used for evaluating quality.Conclusions: The authors' new model is a viable surrogate to optimizing dosimetric indices and quickly and easily yields high quality dose distributions.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

A dosimetric characterization of a novel linear accelerator collimator

Purpose: The aim of this work is to characterize a new linear accelerator collimator which contains a single pair of sculpted diaphragms mounted orthogonally to a 160 leaf multileaf collimator (MLC). The diaphragms have “thick” regions providing full attenuation and “thin” regions where attenuation is provided by both the leaves and the diaphragm. The leaves are mounted on a dynamic leaf guide allowing rapid leaf motion and leaf travel over 350 mm. Methods: Dosimetric characterization, including assessment of leaf transmission, leaf tip transmission, penumbral width, was performed in a plotting tank. Head scatter factor was measured using a mini-phantom and the effect of leaf guide position on output was assessed using a water phantom. The tongue and groove effect was assessed using multiple exposures on radiochromic film. Leaf reproducibility was assessed from portal images of multiple abutting fields. Results: The maximum transmission through the multileaf collimator is 0.44% at 6 MV and 0.52% at 10 MV. This reduced to 0.22% and 0.27%, respectively, when the beam passes through the dynamic leaf guide in addition to the MLC. The maximum transmission through the thick part of the diaphragm is 0.32% and 0.36% at 6 and 10 MV. The combination of leaf and diaphragm transmission ranges from 0.08% to 0.010% at 6 MV and 0.10% to 0.14% depending on whether the shielding is through the thick or thin part of the diaphragm. The off-axis intertip transmission for a zero leaf gap is 2.2% at 6 and 10 MV. The leaf tip penumbra for a 100 × 100 mm field ranges from 5.4 to 4.3 mm at 6 and 10 MV across the full range of leaf motion when measured in the AB direction, which reduces to 4.0–3.4 mm at 6 MV and 4.5–3.8 mm at 10 MV when measured in the GT direction. For a 50 × 50 mm field, the diaphragm penumbra ranges from 4.3 to 3.7 mm at 6 MV and 4.5 to 4.1 mm at 10 MV in the AB direction and 3.7 to 3.2 mm at 6 MV and 4.2 to 3.7 mm when measured in the GT direction. The tongue and groove effect observed from exposure of a radiochromic film to two abutting fields is an underdose of 25%. The head scatter factor at both 6 and 10 MV is similar to that from the MLCi2 collimator to within 0.8%. The uncertainty in the leaf position reproducibility is 0.05 mm (2σ). Conclusions: The Agility collimator is a low leakage, high definition collimator where both the MLC and the sculpted diaphragm have been optimized for dynamic treatments.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

SU-E-T-74: Commissioning of the Elekta VersaHD Linear Accelerator

Purpose: To present the commissioning process of recently-released Elekta VersaHD linear accelerator, equipped with Agility 160-leaf multileaf collimator and flattening-filter free (FFF) photon modes. Methods: In addition to routine QA procedures, we adopted an EPID-based method to perform the table rotation and Winston-Lutz tests, and a novel multiradiation isocenter alignment check. The beam data acquired include photon percent-depth dose (PDD) of 6X, 6XFFF, 10X, 10XFFF, and 15X in the field size from 2×2 to 40×40cm{sup 2}, profiles, collimator and phantom scatter factors (Sc and Sp), wedge factor, electron (6, 9, 12, and 15MeV) PDD and profiles, cone and cutout factors, and virtual SSD. Validation measurements were carried out in water tank to evaluate the accuracy of beam modeling by the Pinnacle planning system. End-to-End test and IMRT QA were performed to validate the overall delivery accuracy. A theoretical model has also been used to extract the primary dose ratio and off-axis beam softening effects by fitting photon beam profile measurements. Results: The PDDs of FFF beams with field size 10×10cm{sup 2} at 10cm depth, 100cm SSD were intentionally adjusted within 1% of the non-FFF beams. The photon profiles of 30×30cm{sup 2} at 10cm depth between non-FFF and FFF beams are very different, OAR(10)=0.74 and 0.63, respectively, for 6XFFF and 10XFFF. The collimator and phantom scatter factors of FFF beam demonstrated smaller variation with field sizes. The EPID-based method demonstrated the maximum deviation between the table rotation axis and radiation isocenter is within 1mm, and the radiation isocenters are within 0.4mm relative to that of 6X. The validation measurement shows less than 2% deviation between the measurement and Pinnacle modeling for most of the test conditions. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study reporting the Elekta VersaHD commissioning experience, which can be a valuable reference for the radiotherapy community.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

SU-E-T-627: Failure Modes and Effect Analysis for Monthly Quality Assurance of Linear Accelerator

Purpose: To develop and implement a failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) on routine monthly Quality Assurance (QA) tests (physical tests part) of linear accelerator. Methods: A systematic failure mode and effect analysis method was performed for monthly QA procedures. A detailed process tree of monthly QA was created and potential failure modes were defined. Each failure mode may have many influencing factors. For each factor, a risk probability number (RPN) was calculated from the product of probability of occurrence (O), the severity of effect (S), and detectability of the failure (D). The RPN scores are in a range of 1 to 1000, with higher scores indicating stronger correlation to a given influencing factor of a failure mode. Five medical physicists in our institution were responsible to discuss and to define the O, S, D values. Results: 15 possible failure modes were identified and all RPN scores of all influencing factors of these 15 failue modes were from 8 to 150, and the checklist of FMEA in monthly QA was drawn. The system showed consistent and accurate response to erroneous conditions. Conclusion: The influencing factors of RPN greater than 50 were considered as highly-correlated factors of a certain out-oftolerance monthly QA test. FMEA is a fast and flexible tool to develop an implement a quality management (QM) frame work of monthly QA, which improved the QA efficiency of our QA team. The FMEA work may incorporate more quantification and monitoring fuctions in future.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

TU-C-BRE-02: A Novel, Highly Efficient and Automated Quality Assurance Tool for Modern Linear Accelerators

Purpose: Quality assurance (QA) of complex linear accelerators is critical and highly time consuming. Varian’s Machine Performance Check (MPC) uses IsoCal phantom to test geometric and dosimetric aspects of the TrueBeam systems in <5min. In this study we independently tested the accuracy and robustness of the MPC tools. Methods: MPC is automated for simultaneous image-acquisition, using kV-and-MV onboard-imagers (EPIDs), while delivering kV-and-MV beams in a set routine of varying gantry, collimator and couch angles. MPC software-tools analyze the images to test: i) beam-output and uniformity, ii) positional accuracy of isocenter, EPIDs, collimating jaws (CJs), MLC leaves and couch and iii) rotational accuracy of gantry, collimator and couch. 6MV-beam dose-output and uniformity were tested using ionization-chamber (IC) and ICarray. Winston-Lutz-Tests (WLT) were performed to measure isocenter-offsets caused by gantry, collimator and couch rotations. Positional accuracy of EPIDs was evaluated using radio-opaque markers of the IsoCal phantom. Furthermore, to test the robustness of the MPC tools we purposefully miscalibrated a non-clinical TrueBeam by introducing errors in beam-output, energy, symmetry, gantry angle, couch translations, CJs and MLC leaves positions. Results: 6MV-output and uniformity were within ±0.6% for most measurements with a maximum deviation of ±1.0%. Average isocenter-offset caused by gantry and collimator rotations was 0.316±0.011mm agreeing with IsoLock (0.274mm) and WLT (0.41mm). Average rotation-induced couch-shift from MPC was 0.378±0.032mm agreeing with WLT (0.35mm). MV-and-kV imager-offsets measured by MPC were within ±0.15mm. MPC predicted all machine miscalibrations within acceptable clinical tolerance. MPC detected the output miscalibrations within ±0.61% while the MLC and couch positions were within ±0.06mm and ±0.14mm, respectively. Gantry angle miscalibrations were detected within ±0.1°. Conclusions: MPC is a useful tool for QA of TrueBeam systems and its automation makes it highly efficient for testing both geometric and dosimetric aspects of the machine. This is very important for hypo-fractionated SBRT treatments. Received support from Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA 94304-1038.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

Poster — Thur Eve — 31: Dosimetric Effect of Respiratory Motion on RapidArc Lung SBRT Treatment Delivered by TrueBeam Linear Accelerator

Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) allows fast delivery of stereotactic radiotherapy. However, the discrepancies between the calculated and delivered dose distributions due to respiratory motion and dynamic multileaf collimators (MLCs) interplay are not avoidable. The purpose of this study is to investigate RapidArc lung SBRT treatment delivered by the flattening filter-free (FFF) beam and flattened beam with Varian TrueBeam machine. CIRS Dynamic Thorax Phantom with in-house made lung tumor insertion was CT scanned both in free breathing and 4DCT. 4DCT was used to determine the internal target volume. The free breathing CT scan was used for treatment planning. A 5 mm margin was given to ITV to generate a planning target volume. Varian Eclipse treatment planning was used to generate RapidArc plans based on the 6 MV flattened beam and 6MV FFF beam. The prescription dose was 48 Gy in 4 fractions. At least 95% of PTV was covered by the prescribed dose. The RapidArc plans with 6 MV flattened beam and 6MV FFF beam were delivered with Varian TrueBeam machine. The dosimetric measurements were performed with Gafchromic XR-RV3 film, which was placed in the lung tumor insertion. The interplay between the dynamic MLC-based delivery of VMAT and the respiratory motion of the tumor degraded target coverage and created undesired hot or cold dose spots inside the lung tumor. Lung SBRT RapidArc treatments delivered by the FFF beam of TrueBeam linear accelerator is superior to the flattened beam. Further investigation will be performed by Monte Carlo simulation.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗