Progress Update on the Development of the $^{3}$He Linac for PET Isotope Production

TLDR: This paper updates the progress of the PET 3He RFQ accelerator, the current status of the design, and some of the interesting ongoing research.

Abstract: In 1995, Fermilab and SAIC formed a collaboration with partners from the University of Washington (UW) and the Biomedical Research Foundation of Northwest Louisiana (BRF) to explore an innovative approach to the production of radioisotopes. The accelerator system that is being developed accelerates 3He to 10.5 MeV and then delivers this beam to the target to produce the short lived radioisotopes of interest to the PET community (18F, 15O, 13N, 11C). Research is being conducted to investigate the contribution that this promising approach can make to clinical and research PET. The accelerator system has several very interesting aspects. These innovations include multiple RFQ accelerators configured in series, a gas stripper jet to doubly charge the low energy (1 MeV) 3He beam, and an isochronous matching section to manipulate the transverse and maintain the longitudinal profile of the beam (without the use of an RF buncher) in the charge doubler transition section between RFQ’s. This paper updates the progress of the PET 3He RFQ accelerator, the current status of the design, and some of the interesting ongoing research.