Program for a novel ion gantry

In conjunction with the CERN-based development of a specially designed cancer therapy synchrotron (Proton-Ion Medical Machine Study - PIMMS), the need for the development of a facility equipped with an ion gantry emerged. Such a medical machine shall be capable of delivering a carbon ion beam virtually from every position and direction best suited for the treatment of the patient. Therefore the gantry allows to conform the delivered dose very closely to the tumour volume, minimise the dose deposited in healthy tissue and spare any critical organs. The technical challenges for the design are the high beam rigidity of the ion beam, requiring large and very heavy bending magnets, as well as the specified high precision of the whole system.