Generation of coherent 19- and 38-nm radiation at a free-electron laser directly seeded at 38 nm.

Initiating the gain process in a free-electron laser (FEL) from an external highly coherent source of radiation is a promising way to improve the pulse properties such as temporal coherence and synchronization performance in time-resolved pump-probe experiments at FEL facilities, but this so-called "seeding" suffers from the lack of adequate sources at short wavelengths. We report on the first successful seeding at a wavelength as short as 38.2 nm, resulting in GW-level, coherent FEL radiation pulses at this wavelength as well as significant second harmonic emission at 19.1 nm. The external seed pulses are about 1 order of magnitude shorter compared to previous experiments allowing an ultimate time resolution for the investigation of dynamic processes enabling breakthroughs in ultrafast science with FELs. The seeding pulse is the 21st harmonic of an 800-nm, 15-fs (rms) laser pulse generated in an argon medium. Methods for finding the overlap of seed pulses with electron bunches in spatial, longitudinal, and spectral dimensions are discussed and results are presented. The experiment was conducted at FLASH, the FEL user facility at DESY in Hamburg, Germany.

A comparison of dose distributions of proton and photon beams in stereotactic conformal radiotherapy of brain lesions.

PURPOSE: Micromultileaf collimators (mMLC) have recently been introduced to conform photon beams in stereotactic irradiation of brain lesions. Proton beams and stereotactic conformal radiotherapy (SCRT) can be used to tailor the dose to nonspherical targets, as most tumors of the brain are irregularly shaped. Comparative planning of brain lesions using either proton or stereotactically guided photon beams was done to assess the institution's clinically available modality for three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy. METHODS AND MATERIALS: For the photon treatment, multiple stereotactically guided uniform intensity beams from a linear accelerator were used, each conformed to a projection of the planning target volume (PTV) by a mMLC. Proton beams were delivered from an isocentrically mounted gantry, using the spot-scanning technique and energy modulation. Seven patients were scanned in a stereotactic frame; target volumes and organs at risk (OAR) were delineated with the help of MR images. Four different lesions were selected: (1) concave, (2) ellipsoid isolated, (3) superficial and close to an organ at risk, and (4) irregular complex. Dose distributions in the PTV and critical structures were calculated using three-dimensional treatment-planning systems, followed by both a quantitative (by dose--volume histogram and conformity index) and qualitative (visual inspection) assessment of the plans. RESULTS: A high degree of conformation was achieved with a mMLC and stereotactic uniform intensity beams with comparable conformity indices to protons for 5 out of 7 plans, especially for superficial or spherical lesions. In the cases studied, the conformity index was better for protons than for photons for complex or concave lesions, or when the PTV was in the neighborhood of critical structures. CONCLUSION: The results for the cases studied, show that for simple geometries or for superficial lesions, there is no advantage in using protons. However, for complex PTV shapes, or when the PTV is in the vicinity of critical structures, protons seem to be potentially better than the fixed-field photon technique.

Tangential breast irradiation: a multi-centric intercomparison of dose using a mailed phantom and thermoluminescent dosimetry.

PURPOSE: To measure the accuracy of radiation therapy of the breast planned with 2D and 3D algorithms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The accuracy of radiation therapy of the breast with 2D and 3D algorithms was investigated as a national intercomparison using a semi-anatomical breast phantom. The dose was measured with thermoluminescent (TL) dosemeters. RESULTS: The mean deviation of measured to planned dose at isocentre was -2.7%. The influence of some planning and irradiation factors is evaluated. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates that beam energy and the use of CT have no marked influence on the accuracy of dose calculations, care has to be exercised when wedges are used and even with sophisticated 3D algorithms there is a systematic error in the dose received by the patient.