Optimization of Ion Energy for the Treatment of Cancerous Tumors

Background & Objectives: For over 60 years, proton beams and heavy ions have been a powerful ion therapy method for treating cancerous tumors. It is an inherent ability of high-energy ions to discharge their energy at a certain depth with high doses, which is impossible for other beams such as X-rays, gamma rays, and electron beams. Moreover, it is an excellent way to protect healthy tissues in ion therapy. 
Materials & Methods: Scientists have used radio frequency (RF) accelerators to generate high-energy ions. However, due to the high price and large devices, laser-plasma accelerators have received much attention. This paper has studied the best conditions for producing high-energy argon ions. For this purpose, the interaction of high-intensity laser pulses with argon nanoclusters is simulated. This simulation is based on the nanoplasma model by the particle in cell method (PIC). 
Results: The simulation results show that the ion energy is dependent on the parameters of the irradiated laser and the parameters of the target cluster. 
Conclusions: The energy of the ions increases with the intensity of the laser and the duration of the laser pulse. Access to higher energy ions is also possible by changing the radius of the cluster. The density of the initial atoms of the cluster is also an important parameter that influences the energy of ions.