LLUPTF: Eleven years and beyond

The Loma Linda University Proton Treatment Facility (LLUPTF) has been treating patients and performing research for eleven years. Its performance has exceeded expectations in many respects. The facility has four treatment rooms and was designed to treat 100 patients per day. As of May 2001, 140 patients per day were being treated. With additional technical advances, this number should increase further. The synchrotron accelerator runs 24 hours per day, six days per week, enabling research and development to be performed during nights and weekends. Installation of a new control system has begun; the system will enable pulse-to-pulse proton energy changes for delivery to the treatment rooms. This installation is proceeding without interrupting patient treatments. A description of the facility will be given including components of the accelerator, beam transport, and dose monitoring systems. Examples of experiments performed at the LLUPTF will be given along with information concerning beam availability for future experiments