A coin-sized particle accelerator increased the initial energy of electrons by 43%; device could be used to treat tumors
2 nov
2023
– 15h40
(updated at 3:58 pm)
Scientists at the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), in Germany, tested the smallest particle accelerator of the world. The size of a small coin, the device has increased electron energy and, one day, could revolutionize medicine in the treatment of tumors.
Photo: FAU/Laser Physics/Stefanie Kraus/Julian Litzel / Canaltech
Particle accelerators are known for the proportions of some of the most important for modern physics. O Large Hádron Collider (LHC)the largest and most famous of them, has a 27-kilometer ring installed in a tunnel 100 meters underground.
However, there are many much smaller particle accelerators, such as those used in old television tubes and Van der Graaf generators, with their hair-raising effect with a simple touch of the dome.
Devices like these are fundamental to many areas of industry and the medical sector. The problem is that, for these purposes, you need a few — or many — square meters and a lot of money invested. Therefore, scientists and engineers are always looking for more economical and reduced alternatives.
Recently, small high-energy accelerators have been proposed (for the first time in 2015), thanks to new capabilities for using light at wavelengths shorter than microwaves (typically used in large installations). In theory, this could be done with visible light lasers, for example.
Mini particle accelerator structure on a chip demonstrated in 2020 (Image: Reproduction/Neil Sapra)
Foto: Canaltech
Now, researchers have managed to create and trigger an accelerator the size of a coin, with microscopic rings 0.5 mm long. In thickness, it is only 225 nanometers — human hair is 80,000 to 100,000 nanometers, for comparison purposes.
Instead of particles such as protons or photons, the mini device accelerates electrons with an energetic value of 28.4 kiloelectronvolts to increase it by around 43%: the value obtained was 40.7 keV. This is an incredible result, considering this is the first time a nanophotonic device has been deployed since the 2015 proposal.
This demonstration, although successful, is just the beginning in the quest to make mini accelerators really useful for real applications. It will still be necessary to increase the energy gain by a factor of 100 before the chip can finally be used in medicine.
One of the main expectations is that these devices can be used to treat cancer cells, instead of traditional radiotherapy, which can harm the body. With the chip implanted in the patient’s body, it would be possible to administer radiotherapy directly to the affected region.
The results were published in a study in the journal Nature.
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2023-11-02 18:40:00
#Mini #particle #accelerator #treat #tumors
