Commercial applications of linacs

Although research and development of new linear accelerators will continue, linac technology is already well accepted for commercial applications. Dedicated electron linacs have been used for almost 30 years to do cancer radiation therapy. Electron linacs are also being routinely used for high energy x-ray radiography, irradiation of products with x-rays or electrons, and free-electron lasers. The development of the Radio Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ) linac has now also made the ion linac a practical tool for commercial applications. Ion linacs are being commercially supplied for medical isotope production, particle radiation therapy, neutron activation analysis, high energy ion implantation, and neutron radiography. The demand for commercial linac systems is expected to significantly increase in this decade and well into the next century