New developments in accelerated electron targets for radiotherapy

This paper presents a review on new developments in accelerated electron targets which determine new radiation sources for therapy and diagnosis. The classification of these radiation sources is related to the type of the interaction target. According to the target nature and configuration the following radiation sources / targets are presented: X-ray / high Z material, synchrotron radiation / external weak EM field, gyrotron radiation / combined MS and RF fields, transition radiation / two media of different electrical or magnetic properties, Smith-Purcell radiation / gratings, Cherenkov radiation / gaseous medium and channeling radiation, parametric X-ray coherent Bremsstrahlung / solid state. This paper is completed by a comparative table of the main characteristics of these sources. (author)