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Dosimetric characterization of the laser-accelerated high-energy electron beam for radiotherapy applications

Bing Zhou1,2, Zhiyuan Guo2, Shuang Liu2, Yang Wan1,3,*, Junqi Liu4, Haiyang Wang4, Yifei Pi4, Bo Guo5, Jianfei Hua2 et al.

Wei Lu6,2,5,†

  • *Contact author: yangwan23@zzu.edu.cn
  • †Contact author: weilu@ihep.ac.cn
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Phys. Rev. Accel. Beams 28, 111302 – Published 25 November, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/2d1l-klx4

Abstract

Radiotherapy utilizing very-high-energy electron (VHEE) beams in the range of 50–300 MeV has gained significant interest over the past two decades due to their advantageous dose characteristics, deep tissue penetration capabilities, and potential for ultrahigh dose-rate treatments. Laser wakefield accelerators (LWFAs) are particularly well suited for generating VHEE beams in a compact setup, thanks to their substantially higher accelerating gradients compared to conventional radio-frequency accelerators. To meet the demands of clinical applications, a comprehensive dosimetry study of LWFA-generated VHEE beams in a preclinical treatment configuration is essential. In this study, a VHEE beam with a maximum energy over 160 MeV was produced using a compact and stable LWFA prototype operating at 1 Hz. The beam was subsequently transported through a quadrupole triplet to eliminate low-energy components and reduce pointing jitter, followed by a scatterer and collimator to create a uniform circular radiation field with an 8-mm diameter. Using this beam, we measured the three-dimensional dose distribution within a solid-water phantom and evaluated the feasibility of multifield intensity-modulated irradiation by delivering 400 VHEE beams from 20 different angles into the phantom. This resulted in a 16-mm-diameter dose plateau peak, with the relative uniformity of approximately 2.8%, and the entrance dose was only 20% of the peak value. These findings demonstrate the feasibility and robustness of LWFA-based VHEE beams for treating deep-seated tumors, highlighting the need for dedicated engineering and preclinical studies in this promising direction.

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Phys. Rev. Accel. Beams 28, 111302– Published 25 November, 2025
  • Received 12 March 2025
  • Accepted 23 October 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

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