Considerations for design parameters for a dedicated medical accelerator

There are only a very few critical parameters which determine the size, performance and cost of a heavy ion accelerator. These are the mass of the heaviest ion desired, the maximum range of this heaviest ion in tissue, and the highest intensity desired. Other parameters, such as beam emittance, beam delivery flexibility, reliability and experimental facility configurations are important, but are not primary driving factors in the design effort. The various clinical applications for a heavy ion accelerator are evaluated, detailing the most desirable beams for each application