Patt-watt laser proton knife event triggering timing system and control method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a pat-watt laser proton knife event triggering timing system and a control method thereof. Information real-time transmission and interaction between the Patwatt laser accelerator system and the irradiation treatment system are achieved through the event generator, the event receiver and the accelerator state integrator, and it is ensured that the two systems efficiently and stably operate cooperatively; by means of precise time sequence control, pat-watt laser acceleration, proton beam generation and irradiation treatment operation can be efficiently synchronized, so that the whole treatment process is orderly carried out according to a preset treatment plan, and the safety and efficiency of treatment are remarkably improved; according to the invention, not only are the stability and reliability of the Patwatt laser proton knife system enhanced, but also an efficient and feasible technical path is provided for the combined application of the Patwatt laser accelerator and the irradiation treatment system, and the application and development of the Patwatt laser proton treatment technology in clinical medicine are further promoted; the method provides a key reference value for future technical innovation and application expansion in related fields.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to petawatt laser technology, and in particular to a petawatt laser proton knife event trigger timing system and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] A particle accelerator is a scientific experimental device used to increase the speed and energy of microscopic particles. It is widely used in basic physics, nuclear medicine, materials science and other fields. Its main purpose is to accelerate particles and study the various phenomena produced by their interaction with matter. However, traditional accelerators face the breakdown effect of electrode materials, which means that their acceleration field gradient can usually only reach the MV / m level, which limits the increase in particle energy to a certain extent. In order to obtain higher particle energy, it is usually necessary to increase the size of the accelerator to provide a stronger acceleration field. Currently, many high-energy accelerators have reached a scale of several kilometers or even larger. However, this expansion not only leads to a significant increase in equipment construction and maintenance costs, but also brings problems such as energy loss and space occupation. There is an urgent need to find new technical paths to break through the limitations of traditional accelerators.

[0003] Laser plasma accelerator is a new type of high-gradient accelerator that accelerates charged particles by using the interaction between laser and plasma. Unlike traditional accelerators, the accelerating medium of laser plasma accelerator is ionized plasma, so it is not limited by the breakdown effect. This enables laser plasma accelerators to achieve higher acceleration gradients. In recent years, with the rapid development of high-power laser technology, laser plasma accelerators have been able to achieve acceleration gradients as high as TV / m, accelerating electrons to the GeV level in an extremely short time of femtoseconds and a tiny spatial scale of centimeters, and proton energy can also be accelerated to more than 100 MeV. Hundred-MeV-level proton beams have broad application potential in scientific research, industry and medical fields. Especially in medical treatment, the Bragg peak characteristics of proton beams can be used to accurately irradiate tumor areas, significantly reduce radiation damage to surrounding healthy tissues, and effectively reduce side effects. Current research has shown that 100-MeV-level proton beams can effectively treat some shallow tumors and most childhood cancers, becoming an important supplementary means of cancer treatment. Compared with traditional large accelerators, laser plasma accelerators have shown obvious advantages in many aspects. First, the R&D cost of laser plasma accelerators is low, the space required for equipment and the difficulty of installation are greatly reduced, and the operation and maintenance costs are also reduced. Secondly, compared with traditional accelerators, laser plasma accelerators have better controllability in radiation protection and system complexity, making them more attractive in various applications.

[0004] Although the application prospects of laser accelerators in proton radiotherapy are broad, their practical application still faces several technical challenges. During a single treatment, thousands to tens of thousands of stable proton beams need to be generated to ensure the efficiency and continuity of the treatment effect. In order to shorten the treatment time, the laser accelerator must have the ability to generate proton beams with a high repetition rate so that more irradiation doses can be provided to patients in each treatment session, thereby accelerating the entire treatment process. Shortening the treatment time not only helps to improve the quality of treatment for patients, but also significantly improves the patients' treatment acceptance and comfort. Therefore, how to achieve breakthroughs in high frequency, high stability and high efficiency of laser accelerators has become the key to research. At present, traditional laser accelerator systems mainly rely on baseband distribution systems based on delay signal generators as menu trigger solutions. Such systems have relatively low integration and face problems such as complex structure, insufficient delay accuracy, and single trigger pulse type, resulting in poor performance in system stability and reliability. Therefore, although this system has been adopted in laser accelerator applications in laboratory environments, it is difficult to achieve large-scale application in petawatt laser accelerator system proton knife systems due to its limitations. How to overcome these technical bottlenecks and improve the stability and availability of the system is the key to the widespread application of proton radiotherapy with petawatt laser accelerator systems.

[0005] In order to solve the problems of low integration and complex structure of baseband distribution system, the Advanced Photon Source in the United States proposed a new timing system design concept in the 1990s, called event-triggered timing system. The core idea of ​​this system is to replace the traditional pure pulse signal with the event code generated by the event generator. Unlike the traditional baseband distribution system, the event-triggered timing system processes all the time information generated during the operation of the accelerator in sequence through a unified coding method, and transmits this information to each event receiver through broadcasting. After receiving the event code, each event receiver can generate the specific trigger signal required by the connected device. Through this mechanism, the event-triggered timing system can achieve precise timing control and ensure the coordinated operation of each subsystem.

[0006] Based on this concept, the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, successfully developed the SINAP event-triggered timing system. The system has been widely used in many large accelerators at home and abroad and has been running stably, including important scientific research facilities such as the Shanghai Light Source, the China Spallation Neutron Source, and the Pohang Light Source in South Korea, showing good safety, stability and reliability. In addition, the SINAP event-triggered timing system has been successfully applied to the Tumor Proton Therapy Center of Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University, playing an important role in tumor proton therapy. With the gradual maturity of proton therapy-related technologies, the timing system based on event triggering has also been gradually improved and optimized. Although the event-triggered timing system has been widely used in traditional accelerators, its application in petawatt laser accelerator systems, especially petawatt laser proton knife systems, is still relatively limited, which provides important breakthrough space and potential for future research and technological development.

[0007] At present, event-triggered timing systems are mainly used in the field of traditional accelerators, while petawatt laser accelerator systems usually rely on baseband distribution systems based on delay signal generators. However, this system has many limitations, including complex structure, insufficient delay accuracy, single trigger pulse type, and poor system stability and reliability. In addition, since the delay signal generator may be subject to export controls, the uncertainty of its acquisition and maintenance may have a negative impact on the long-term stable and reliable operation of the related petawatt laser accelerator system devices. Therefore, the system based on the delay signal generator is difficult to provide sufficient technical support for the petawatt laser accelerator system, thereby limiting its potential in high-precision and high-efficiency medical and scientific research applications. Summary of the invention

[0008] In view of the problems existing in the above-mentioned prior art, the present invention applies an event-triggered timing system to a petawatt laser accelerator system, proposes and constructs an event-triggered timing system for a petawatt laser proton knife and a control method thereof, and realizes real-time transmission and interaction of information between the petawatt laser accelerator system and the radiation therapy system through the event-triggered timing system, thereby ensuring the coordinated operation of the two systems.

[0009] One object of the present invention is to provide a petawatt laser proton knife event triggering timing system.

[0010] The petawatt laser proton knife event trigger timing system of the present invention is used for timing control between a petawatt laser accelerator system and an irradiation therapy system; the petawatt laser accelerator system comprises a petawatt laser, a repetition rate target, a plasma mirror, a menu system, a diagnostic device and a protection system; wherein the menu system adopts a fast electric translation stage, which enters into the optical path to block the pulse, moves out of the optical path to allow the pulse to pass, thereby selecting to output a pulse, and the diagnostic device adopts a camera; the petawatt laser outputs a series of petawatt laser pulses, and a petawatt laser pulse is selected to be output by the menu system, passes through the plasma mirror, and is then output by the laser. The interaction between light and plasma can produce intense optical nonlinear reactions before the arrival of high-intensity pulses, thus improving the contrast of petawatt laser pulses. Laser pulses are irradiated to the repetition rate target to generate a proton beam. The proton beam is used as an irradiation source and input into the radiation therapy system. A diagnostic device is arranged behind the repetition rate target to collect images of the interaction between laser pulses and plasma during the target shooting process. A protection system is arranged in the laser area, target area and beamline area. The repetition rate target, plasma mirror and diagnostic equipment are arranged in the target area. The petawatt laser and the menu system are arranged in the laser area. The radiation therapy system is arranged in the beamline terminal area.

[0011] The petawatt laser proton knife event trigger timing system of the present invention comprises: an event generator, first to sixth event receivers and an accelerator state integrator; wherein,

[0012] The accelerator state integrator comprises first to fourth electric pulse input channels, an AND gate and an electric pulse output channel integrated on a circuit board, wherein the first to fourth electric pulse input channels are connected to an input end of an AND gate, and an output end of the AND gate is connected to the electric pulse output channel;

[0013] The event generator has first to sixth optical input channels and first to sixth optical output channels; the first to sixth optical output channels and optical input channels of the event generator are respectively connected to the optical input channels and optical output channels of the first to sixth event receivers; the electric pulse output channel and electric pulse input channel of the first event receiver are respectively connected to the trigger heartbeat monitoring interface and the treatment beam request interface of the irradiation therapy system of the petawatt laser accelerator; the electric pulse output channel and electric pulse input channel of the second event receiver are respectively connected to the first electric pulse input channel and electric pulse output channel of the accelerator state integrator; the in-place state output channel of the repetition target, the in-place state output channel of the plasma mirror and the interlocking state output channel of the protection system are respectively connected to the second to fourth electric pulse input channels of the accelerator state integrator; the electric pulse output channel of the third event receiver is connected to the electric pulse input channel of the menu system; the electric pulse output channel of the fourth event receiver is connected to the electric pulse input channel of the diagnostic device; the electric pulse output channel of the fifth event receiver is connected to the electric pulse input channel of the repetition target; the electric pulse output channel of the sixth event receiver is connected to the electric pulse input channel of the plasma mirror;

[0014] The first event receiver is configured with a first event code, the second event receiver is configured with a second event code, and the third to sixth event receivers are configured with a third event code.

[0015] The event generator is connected to corresponding channels of the first to sixth event receivers through multimode optical fibers respectively.

[0016] The first event receiver is connected to the irradiation therapy system, the second event receiver is connected to the accelerator state integrator, the repetition rate target, plasma mirror and protection system are connected to the accelerator state integrator, the third event receiver is connected to the menu system, the fourth event receiver is connected to the diagnostic equipment, the fifth event receiver is connected to the repetition rate target, and the sixth event receiver is connected to the plasma mirror, respectively through coaxial cables.

[0017] Another object of the present invention is to provide a control method for a petawatt laser proton knife event trigger timing system.

[0018] The control method of the petawatt laser proton knife event trigger timing system of the present invention adopts the method of first determining that the irradiation therapy system is ready and then determining that the petawatt laser accelerator system is ready, or first determining that the petawatt laser accelerator system is ready and then determining that the irradiation therapy system is ready.

[0019] The control method of the petawatt laser proton knife event trigger timing system of the present invention first determines that the irradiation therapy system is ready and then determines that the petawatt laser accelerator system is ready, including the following steps:

[0020] 1) The timing signal of the petawatt laser pulse emitted by the petawatt laser accelerator system;

[0021] 2) The event generator is synchronized with the petawatt laser accelerator system. The event generator sends a downlink first event code to the first to sixth event receivers at the same frequency as the petawatt laser accelerator system. Only the first event receiver is configured with the same first event code. The first event receiver receives and responds to the first event code, generates an electrical pulse signal, and inputs it into the radiation therapy system.

[0022] 3) After the radiation therapy system receives the electrical pulse signal, if the radiation therapy system is not ready, the radiation therapy system will not send out any signal, the radiation therapy system will not start, and the event-triggered timing system will wait for the timing signal of the next petawatt laser pulse, thereby ensuring the precise timing control of the petawatt laser pulse, avoiding unnecessary delays or errors during the treatment process, and ensuring the efficiency and safety of the treatment;

[0023] 4) When the radiation therapy system is ready, the radiation therapy system generates a power generation pulse signal which is input to the first event receiver, triggering the first event receiver to generate an uplink second event code which is input to the event generator. The generation of the second event code indicates that the radiation therapy system has completed preparations and is ready to receive proton beams and implement treatment;

[0024] 5) After receiving the second event code in the uplink, the event generator relays the second event code to the first to sixth event receivers;

[0025] Only the second event receiver is configured with the second event code, the second event receiver receives and responds to the second event code, generates a high level signal and inputs it into the first electric pulse input channel of the accelerator state integrator;

[0026] 6) After the accelerator status integrator receives the electrical pulse signal, if the repetition rate target is not in place, the plasma mirror is not in place, or the protection system is in an interlocked state, it indicates that the petawatt laser accelerator system does not currently have the beam-emitting conditions, and the event trigger timing system will not trigger the second event receiver; at this time, the event trigger timing system will remain in a standby state, waiting for the timing signal of the next petawatt laser pulse;

[0027] 7) When the repetition rate target and the plasma mirror are in place, high-level signals are continuously output to the second and third electric pulse input channels of the accelerator state integrator respectively, and the petawatt laser accelerator system has no faults and the protection system is not activated, and high-level signals are continuously output to the fourth electric pulse input channel of the accelerator state integrator; the accelerator state integrator performs a logical "AND" operation on the high-level signals received by the first to fourth electric pulse input channels, generates a high-level electric pulse signal and inputs it to the second event receiver, triggering the second event receiver to generate an uplink third event code, which is input to the event generator. The generation of the third event code marks the completion of the preparation stage of the petawatt laser accelerator system;

[0028] 8) After receiving the third event code in the uplink, the event generator relays the third event code to the first to sixth event receivers;

[0029] The third event code is configured in the third to sixth event codes;

[0030] 9) The third event receiver receives and responds to the third event code, generates a trigger signal of an electric pulse, and inputs it into the menu system. After the menu system receives the trigger signal, it quickly moves from the initial position of shielding the petawatt laser pulse to the non-shielding position, and releases a petawatt laser pulse; the petawatt laser pulse passes through the plasma mirror to improve the contrast of the petawatt laser pulse, and then couples with the repetition rate target to generate a proton beam, which is transmitted to the irradiation therapy system to complete a round of target shooting and irradiation therapy; then the menu system quickly returns to the shielding position to prepare for the next round of petawatt laser pulse target shooting;

[0031] At the same time, the fourth event receiver receives and responds to the third event code, generates a trigger signal of an electric pulse, and inputs it into the diagnostic device. After the diagnostic device receives the trigger signal, the diagnostic device is turned on to perform real-time diagnosis and monitoring of the interaction process between the petawatt laser pulse and the plasma;

[0032] At the same time, the fifth and sixth event receivers also receive and respond to the third event code, and respectively generate a trigger signal of an electric pulse, which triggers the repetition rate target and the plasma mirror to move to the next target position, preparing for the next round of petawatt laser pulse target shooting.

[0033] Wherein, in step 2), the amplitude range of the electric pulse signal is 2V to 5V.

[0034] In step 7), the amplitude range of the high level signal is 3.3V to 5V.

[0035] The control method of the petawatt laser proton knife event trigger timing system of the present invention first determines that the petawatt laser accelerator system is ready and then determines that the radiation therapy system is ready, including the following steps:

[0036] 1) The timing signal of the petawatt laser pulse emitted by the petawatt laser accelerator system;

[0037] 2) The event generator is synchronized with the petawatt laser accelerator system, and the event generator sends a downlink second event code to the first to sixth event receivers at the same frequency as the petawatt laser accelerator system; only the second event receiver is configured with the second event code, and the second event receiver receives and responds to the second event code, generates a high-level signal and continuously inputs it into the first electrical pulse input channel of the accelerator state integrator;

[0038] 3) After the accelerator status integrator receives the electrical pulse signal, if the repetition rate target is not in place, the plasma mirror is not in place, or the protection system is in an interlocked state, it indicates that the petawatt laser accelerator system does not currently have the beam-emitting conditions, and the event trigger timing system will not trigger the second event receiver; at this time, the event trigger timing system will remain in a standby state, waiting for the timing signal of the next petawatt laser pulse;

[0039] 4) When the repetition rate target and the plasma mirror are in place, high-level signals are continuously output to the second and third electric pulse input channels of the accelerator state integrator respectively, and the petawatt laser accelerator system has no faults and the protection system is not activated, and high-level signals are continuously output to the fourth electric pulse input channel of the accelerator state integrator; the accelerator state integrator performs a logical "AND" operation on the high-level signals received by the first to fourth electric pulse input channels, generates a high-level electric pulse signal and inputs it to the second event receiver, triggering the second event receiver to generate an uplink first event code, which is input to the event generator. The generation of the first event code marks the completion of the preparation stage of the petawatt laser accelerator system;

[0040] 5) After receiving the first event code in the uplink, the event generator broadcasts the first event code to the first to sixth event receivers; only if the first event receiver is configured with the same first event code, the first event receiver receives and responds to the first event code, generates an electrical pulse signal, and inputs it into the radiation therapy system;

[0041] 6) After the radiation therapy system receives the electrical pulse signal, if the radiation therapy system is not ready, the radiation therapy system does not send any signal, the radiation therapy system will not start, and the event trigger timing system will wait for the timing signal of the next petawatt laser pulse, thereby ensuring the precise timing control of the petawatt laser pulse, avoiding unnecessary delays or errors in the treatment process, and ensuring the efficiency and safety of the treatment;

[0042] 7) When the radiation therapy system is ready, the radiation therapy system generates a power generation pulse signal which is input to the first event receiver, triggering the first event receiver to generate an uplink third event code which is input to the event generator. The generation of the third event code indicates that the radiation therapy system has completed preparations and is ready to receive proton beams and implement treatment;

[0043] 8) After receiving the third event code in the uplink, the event generator retransmits the third event code to the first to sixth event receivers; the third event code is configured in the third to sixth event codes;

[0044] 9) The third event receiver receives and responds to the third event code, generates a trigger signal of an electric pulse, and inputs it into the menu system. After the menu system receives the trigger signal, it quickly moves from the initial position of shielding the petawatt laser pulse to the non-shielding position, and releases a petawatt laser pulse. After the petawatt laser pulse passes through the plasma mirror to improve the contrast of the petawatt laser pulse, it is coupled with the repetition rate target to generate a proton beam, which is transmitted to the irradiation therapy system to complete a round of target shooting and irradiation therapy; then the menu system quickly returns to the shielding position to prepare for the next round of petawatt laser pulse target shooting;

[0045] At the same time, the fourth event receiver receives and responds to the third event code, generates a trigger signal of an electric pulse, and inputs it into the diagnostic device. After the diagnostic device receives the trigger signal, the diagnostic device is turned on to perform real-time diagnosis and monitoring of the interaction process between the petawatt laser pulse and the plasma;

[0046] At the same time, the fifth and sixth event receivers also receive and respond to the third event code, and respectively generate a trigger signal of an electric pulse, which triggers the repetition rate target and the plasma mirror to move to the next target position, preparing for the next round of petawatt laser pulse target shooting.

[0047] Wherein, in step 1), the frequency of the timing signal of the petawatt laser pulse emitted by the petawatt laser accelerator system is 0.1 Hz to 10 Hz.

[0048] In step 4), the amplitude range of the high level signal is 3.3V to 5V.

[0049] In step 7), the amplitude range of the electric pulse signal is 2V to 5V.

[0050] The timing process of the petawatt laser proton knife event trigger timing system is a high-precision and real-time response process, which ensures the synchronous generation of petawatt laser pulses and proton beams and the precise control of the treatment process. The petawatt laser pulse synchronization signal is an electrical pulse signal synchronized with the petawatt laser pulse. After the irradiation therapy system and the accelerator system are ready and confirmed, the event trigger timing system needs to select a single electrical pulse signal to trigger the menu system to open, release a petawatt laser pulse, complete the petawatt laser quality improvement through the plasma mirror, and then couple with the repetition rate target to generate a proton beam, and finally deliver it to the irradiation therapy system.

[0051] Advantages of the present invention:

[0052] The present invention realizes real-time transmission and interaction of information between the petawatt laser accelerator system and the radiation therapy system through an event-triggered timing system, ensuring the coordinated operation of the two systems; with the help of precise timing control, the system can efficiently synchronize petawatt laser acceleration, proton beam generation and radiation therapy operations, so that the entire treatment process can be carried out in an orderly manner according to the predetermined treatment plan, significantly improving the safety and efficiency of the treatment; the present invention not only enhances the stability and reliability of the petawatt laser proton knife system, but also provides an efficient and feasible technical path for the joint application of the petawatt laser accelerator system and the radiation therapy system, further promoting the application and development of petawatt laser proton therapy technology in clinical medicine.

[0053] 1. The first application of event-triggered timing system to petawatt laser accelerator system:

[0054] The Petawatt laser proton knife event trigger timing system introduced the event trigger timing system into the field of Petawatt laser accelerator system for the first time, realizing the comprehensive replacement of the hardware functions of the traditional delay signal generator. By adopting the domestically produced SINAP event trigger timing system, not only the workflow of the Petawatt laser accelerator system is optimized, but also the performance and reliability of the system are significantly improved. Compared with the traditional delay signal generator baseband distribution system, the SINAP event trigger timing system has a simpler architecture, higher time accuracy, stronger functional expansibility, and better system stability and reliability. This innovative design effectively reduces the complexity of the system, enhances the long-term stable operation capability of the Petawatt laser accelerator system, and provides a solid technical guarantee for its efficient and stable application.

[0055] 2. Proposed and built the first petawatt laser proton knife event trigger timing system:

[0056] Combining the characteristics of the petawatt laser accelerator system with the actual needs of proton radiation therapy, the first petawatt laser proton knife event trigger timing system was proposed. Compared with the traditional software control system, the hardware system has higher accuracy and response speed in timing control. Based on this design concept, the present invention fully taps the application potential of the event trigger timing system hardware, minimizes the dependence on software control, and thus significantly improves the stability and responsiveness of the system.

[0057] In this system, the event generator can generate and forward downlink event codes, which provide precise trigger signals for the timing control of each module in the system. Each event receiver channel can respond to a specific event code and output an electrical pulse signal, while generating an uplink event code to feed back to the event generator. Through this mechanism, precise synchronization between the radiation therapy system and the petawatt laser accelerator system is achieved, which not only significantly improves the coordination of the two systems during operation, but also ensures the orderly linkage of each subsystem within the system. The present invention provides solid technical support for the efficient and stable coordinated operation of the petawatt laser accelerator system and proton radiation therapy.

[0058] In general, the design of the petawatt laser proton knife event trigger timing system is hardware-centric, ensuring the safety, reliability and efficiency of the system under high-precision control, and providing a solid guarantee for high-demand operations in practical applications. This invention not only lays an important foundation for the further development of petawatt laser proton knife technology, but also provides key reference value for future technological innovation and application expansion in related fields. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0059] Figure 1 A connection block diagram of an embodiment of a petawatt laser proton knife event trigger timing system of the present invention;

[0060] Figure 2 It is a signal transmission schematic diagram of Embodiment 1 of the control method of the petawatt laser proton knife event trigger timing system of the present invention;

[0061] Figure 3 This is a timing diagram of Embodiment 1 of the control method of the petawatt laser proton knife event trigger timing system of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] The present invention will be further described below through specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0063] like Figure 1 As shown, the petawatt laser proton knife event trigger timing system of this embodiment includes: an event generator, first to sixth event receivers and an accelerator state integrator; wherein,

[0064] The accelerator state integrator comprises first to fourth electric pulse input channels, an AND gate and an electric pulse output channel integrated on a circuit board, wherein the first to fourth electric pulse input channels are connected to an input end of an AND gate, and an output end of the AND gate is connected to the electric pulse output channel;

[0065] The event generator has first to sixth optical input channels and first to sixth optical output channels; the first to sixth optical output channels and optical input channels of the event generator are respectively connected to the optical input channels and optical output channels of the first to sixth event receivers through multimode optical fibers; the electric pulse output channel and electric pulse input channel of the first event receiver are respectively connected to the trigger heartbeat monitoring interface and the treatment beam request interface of the irradiation therapy system through coaxial cables; the electric pulse output channel and electric pulse input channel of the second event receiver are respectively connected to the first electric pulse input channel and electric pulse output channel of the accelerator state integrator through coaxial cables; the arrival of the repetition target The in-position state output channel, the in-position state output channel of the plasma mirror and the interlock state output channel of the protection system are respectively connected to the second to fourth electric pulse input channels of the accelerator state integrator through coaxial cables; the electric pulse output channel of the third event receiver is connected to the electric pulse input channel of the menu system through a coaxial cable; the electric pulse output channel of the fourth event receiver is connected to the electric pulse input channel of the diagnostic device through a coaxial cable; the electric pulse output channel of the fifth event receiver is connected to the electric pulse input channel of the re-frequency target through a coaxial cable; the electric pulse output channel of the sixth event receiver is connected to the electric pulse input channel of the plasma mirror through a coaxial cable;

[0066] The first event receiver is configured with a first event code, the second event receiver is configured with a second event code, and the third to sixth event receivers are configured with a third event code.

[0067] Embodiment 1

[0068] In this embodiment, it is first determined that the irradiation therapy system is ready and then it is determined that the petawatt laser accelerator system is ready. The control method of the petawatt laser proton knife event trigger timing system of this embodiment is as follows: Figure 2 As shown, the following steps are included:

[0069] 1) The timing signal of the 1Hz petawatt laser pulse emitted by the petawatt laser accelerator system;

[0070] 2) The event generator is synchronized with the petawatt laser accelerator system. The event generator sends a downlink first event code to the first to sixth event receivers at the same frequency as the petawatt laser accelerator system. Only the first event receiver is configured with the same first event code. The first event receiver receives and responds to the first event code, generates an electrical pulse signal, and inputs it into the radiation therapy system.

[0071] 3) After the radiation therapy system receives the electrical pulse signal, if the radiation therapy system is not ready, the radiation therapy system will not send out any signal, the radiation therapy system will not start, and the event-triggered timing system will wait for the timing signal of the next petawatt laser pulse, thereby ensuring the precise timing control of the petawatt laser pulse, avoiding unnecessary delays or errors during the treatment process, and ensuring the efficiency and safety of the treatment;

[0072] 4) When the radiation therapy system is ready, the radiation therapy system generates a 5V electrical pulse signal which is input to the first event receiver, triggering the first event receiver to generate an uplink second event code which is input to the event generator. The generation of the second event code indicates that the radiation therapy system has completed preparations and is ready to receive proton beams and implement treatment;

[0073] 5) After receiving the second event code in the uplink, the event generator relays the second event code to the first to sixth event receivers;

[0074] Only the second event receiver is configured with the second event code, the second event receiver receives and responds to the second event code, generates a high level signal and continuously inputs it to the accelerator state integrator;

[0075] 6) After the accelerator status integrator receives the electric pulse signal, if one or more of the following conditions are met: the repetition rate target is not in place, the plasma mirror is not in place, and the protection system is in an interlocked state, it indicates that the petawatt laser accelerator system does not currently have the beam-emitting conditions, and the event trigger timing system will not trigger the second event receiver; at this time, the event trigger timing system will remain in a standby state, waiting for the timing signal of the next petawatt laser pulse;

[0076] 7) When the repetition rate target and the plasma mirror are in place, a high-level signal is continuously output to the accelerator state integrator, and the petawatt laser accelerator system has no faults and the protection system is not activated, a high-level signal is also continuously output to the accelerator state integrator; the accelerator state integrator performs a logic "AND" operation on the high-level signals input from the first to fourth electric pulse input channels, generates a high-level electric pulse signal and inputs it to the second event receiver, triggering the second event receiver to generate an uplink third event code, which is input to the event generator. The generation of the third event code marks the completion of the preparation stage of the petawatt laser accelerator system;

[0077] 8) After receiving the third event code in the uplink, the event generator relays the third event code to the first to sixth event receivers;

[0078] The third event code is configured in the third to sixth event codes;

[0079] 9) The third event receiver receives and responds to the third event code, generates a trigger signal of an electric pulse, and inputs it into the menu system. After the menu system receives the trigger signal, it quickly moves from the initial position of shielding the petawatt laser pulse to the non-shielding position, and releases a petawatt laser pulse; the petawatt laser pulse passes through the plasma mirror to improve the contrast of the petawatt laser pulse, and then couples with the repetition rate target to generate a proton beam, which is transmitted to the irradiation therapy system to complete a round of target shooting and irradiation therapy; then the menu system quickly returns to the shielding position to prepare for the next round of pulses;

[0080] At the same time, the fourth event receiver receives and responds to the third event code, generates a trigger signal of an electric pulse, and inputs it into the diagnostic device. After the diagnostic device receives the trigger signal, the diagnostic device is turned on to perform real-time diagnosis and monitoring of the interaction process between the petawatt laser pulse and the plasma;

[0081] At the same time, the fifth and sixth event receivers also receive and respond to the third event code, and respectively generate a trigger signal of an electric pulse, which triggers the repetition target and the plasma mirror to move to the next target position, preparing for the next petawatt laser pulse target shooting.

[0082] The timing control of this embodiment is as follows Figure 3 shown.

[0083] Embodiment 2

[0084] In this embodiment, the readiness of the petawatt laser accelerator system is first determined, and then the readiness of the irradiation therapy system is determined. The control method of the petawatt laser proton knife event trigger timing system of the present invention includes the following steps:

[0085] 1) The timing signal of the 1Hz petawatt laser pulse emitted by the petawatt laser accelerator system;

[0086] 2) The event generator is synchronized with the Petawatt laser accelerator system. The event generator sends a downlink second event code to the first to sixth event receivers at the same frequency as the Petawatt laser accelerator system. Only the second event receiver is configured with the second event code. The second event receiver receives and responds to the second event code, generates a high-level signal and continuously inputs it into the accelerator state integrator.

[0087] 3) After the accelerator status integrator receives the electric pulse signal, if one or more of the following conditions are met: the repetition rate target is not in place, the plasma mirror is not in place, or the protection system is in an interlocked state, it indicates that the petawatt laser accelerator system does not currently have the beam-emitting conditions, and the event trigger timing system will not trigger the second event receiver; at this time, the event trigger timing system will remain in a standby state, waiting for the timing signal of the next petawatt laser pulse;

[0088] 4) When the repetition rate target and the plasma mirror are in place, a high-level signal is continuously output to the accelerator state integrator, and the petawatt laser accelerator system has no faults and the protection system is not activated, a high-level signal is also continuously output to the accelerator state integrator; the accelerator state integrator performs a logic "AND" operation on the high-level signals input from the first to fourth electric pulse input channels, generates a high-level electric pulse signal and inputs it to the second event receiver, triggering the second event receiver to generate an uplink first event code, which is input to the event generator. The generation of the first event code marks the completion of the preparation stage of the petawatt laser accelerator system;

[0089] 5) After receiving the first event code in the uplink, the event generator broadcasts the first event code to the first to sixth event receivers; only if the first event receiver is configured with the same first event code, the first event receiver receives and responds to the first event code, generates an electrical pulse signal, and inputs it into the radiation therapy system;

[0090] 6) After the radiation therapy system receives the electrical pulse signal, if the radiation therapy system is not ready, the radiation therapy system does not send any signal, the radiation therapy system will not start, and the event trigger timing system will wait for the timing signal of the next petawatt laser pulse, thereby ensuring the precise timing control of the petawatt laser pulse, avoiding unnecessary delays or errors in the treatment process, and ensuring the efficiency and safety of the treatment;

[0091] 7) When the radiation therapy system is ready, the radiation therapy system generates a 5V electrical pulse signal which is input to the first event receiver, triggering the first event receiver to generate an uplink third event code which is input to the event generator.

[0092] The generation of the code indicates that the radiation therapy system has completed preparations and is ready to receive proton beams and implement treatment;

[0093] 8) After receiving the third event code in the uplink, the event generator retransmits the third event code to the first to sixth event receivers; the third event code is configured in the third to sixth event codes;

[0094] 9) The third event receiver receives and responds to the third event code, generates a trigger signal of an electric pulse, and inputs it into the menu system. After the menu system receives the trigger signal, it quickly moves from the initial position of shielding the petawatt laser pulse to the non-shielding position, and releases a petawatt laser pulse. After the petawatt laser pulse passes through the plasma mirror to improve the contrast of the petawatt laser pulse, it is coupled with the repetition rate target to generate a proton beam, which is transmitted to the irradiation therapy system to complete a round of target shooting and irradiation therapy; then the menu system quickly returns to the shielding position to prepare for the next round of pulses;

[0095] At the same time, the fourth event receiver receives and responds to the third event code, generates a trigger signal of an electric pulse, and inputs it into the diagnostic device. After the diagnostic device receives the trigger signal, the diagnostic device is turned on to perform real-time diagnosis and monitoring of the interaction process between the petawatt laser pulse and the plasma;

[0096] At the same time, the fifth and sixth event receivers also receive and respond to the third event code, and respectively generate a trigger signal of an electric pulse, which triggers the repetition target and the plasma mirror to move to the next target position, preparing for the next petawatt laser pulse target shooting.

[0097] Finally, it should be noted that the purpose of publishing the embodiments is to help further understand the present invention, but those skilled in the art can understand that various substitutions and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and the appended claims. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to the contents disclosed in the embodiments, and the scope of protection claimed by the present invention shall be subject to the scope defined in the claims.

Claims

1. A petawatt laser proton knife event trigger timing system, used for timing control between a petawatt laser accelerator system and an irradiation therapy system; the petawatt laser accelerator system includes a petawatt laser, a repetition rate target, a plasma mirror, a menu system, a diagnostic device and a protection system; wherein, The petawatt laser outputs a series of petawatt laser pulses. A petawatt laser pulse is selected to be output through a menu system. The contrast of the petawatt laser pulse is improved through the interaction between the laser and the plasma through a plasma mirror. The petawatt laser pulse is irradiated to the repetition rate target to generate a proton beam. The proton beam is used as an irradiation source and input to the radiation therapy system. A diagnostic device is set behind the repetition rate target to collect images of the interaction between the laser pulse and the plasma during the target shooting process. A protection system is set up in the laser area, target area and beam line area; a repetition rate target, a plasma mirror and a diagnostic device are set up in the target area; a petawatt laser and a menu system are set up in the laser area; and an irradiation therapy system is set up in the beam line terminal area. It is characterized in that the event trigger timing system includes: an event generator, first to sixth event receivers and an accelerator state integrator; wherein, The accelerator state integrator comprises first to fourth electric pulse input channels, an AND gate and an electric pulse output channel integrated on a circuit board, wherein the first to fourth electric pulse input channels are connected to an input end of an AND gate, and an output end of the AND gate is connected to the electric pulse output channel; The event generator has first to sixth optical input channels and first to sixth optical output channels; the first to sixth optical output channels and optical input channels of the event generator are respectively connected to the optical input channels and optical output channels of the first to sixth event receivers; the electric pulse output channel and electric pulse input channel of the first event receiver are respectively connected to the trigger heartbeat monitoring interface and the treatment beam request interface of the irradiation therapy system of the petawatt laser accelerator; the electric pulse output channel and electric pulse input channel of the second event receiver are respectively connected to the first electric pulse input channel and electric pulse output channel of the accelerator state integrator; the in-place state output channel of the repetition target, the in-place state output channel of the plasma mirror and the interlocking state output channel of the protection system are respectively connected to the second to fourth electric pulse input channels of the accelerator state integrator; the electric pulse output channel of the third event receiver is connected to the electric pulse input channel of the menu system; the electric pulse output channel of the fourth event receiver is connected to the electric pulse input channel of the diagnostic device; the electric pulse output channel of the fifth event receiver is connected to the electric pulse input channel of the repetition target; the electric pulse output channel of the sixth event receiver is connected to the electric pulse input channel of the plasma mirror; The first event receiver is configured with a first event code, the second event receiver is configured with a second event code, and the third to sixth event receivers are configured with a third event code.

2. The event-triggered timing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The event generator is connected to corresponding channels of the first to sixth event receivers through multimode optical fibers respectively.

3. The event-triggered timing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connection between the first event receiver and the radiation therapy system, the connection between the second event receiver and the accelerator state integrator, the connection between the repetition target, the plasma mirror and the protection system and the accelerator state integrator, the connection between the third event receiver and the menu system, the connection between the fourth event receiver and the diagnostic equipment, the connection between the fifth event receiver and the repetition target, and the connection between the sixth event receiver and the plasma mirror are respectively through coaxial cables.

4. A control method for a petawatt laser proton knife event trigger timing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method first determines that the irradiation therapy system is ready and then determines that the petawatt laser accelerator system is ready, wherein: The control method comprises the following steps: 1) The timing signal of the petawatt laser pulse emitted by the petawatt laser accelerator system; 2) The event generator is synchronized with the petawatt laser accelerator system. The event generator sends a downlink first event code to the first to sixth event receivers at the same frequency as the petawatt laser accelerator system. Only the first event receiver is configured with the same first event code. The first event receiver receives and responds to the first event code, generates an electrical pulse signal, and inputs it into the radiation therapy system. 3) After the radiation therapy system receives the electrical pulse signal, if the radiation therapy system is not ready, the radiation therapy system will not send out any signal, the radiation therapy system will not start, and the event-triggered timing system will wait for the timing signal of the next petawatt laser pulse, thereby ensuring the precise timing control of the petawatt laser pulse, avoiding unnecessary delays or errors during the treatment process, and ensuring the efficiency and safety of the treatment; 4) When the radiation therapy system is ready, the radiation therapy system generates a power generation pulse signal which is input to the first event receiver, triggering the first event receiver to generate an uplink second event code which is input to the event generator. The generation of the second event code indicates that the radiation therapy system has completed preparations and is ready to receive proton beams and implement treatment; 5) After receiving the second event code in the uplink, the event generator broadcasts the second event code to the first to sixth event receivers; only the second event receiver is configured with the second event code, and the second event receiver receives and responds to the second event code. Generate a high level signal and continuously input it into the first electric pulse input channel of the accelerator state integrator; 6) After the accelerator status integrator receives the electrical pulse signal, if the repetition rate target is not in place, the plasma mirror is not in place, or the protection system is in an interlocked state, it indicates that the petawatt laser accelerator system does not currently have the beam-emitting conditions, and the event trigger timing system will not trigger the second event receiver; at this time, the event trigger timing system will remain in a standby state, waiting for the timing signal of the next petawatt laser pulse; 7) When the repetition rate target and the plasma mirror are in place, high-level signals are continuously output to the second and third electric pulse input channels of the accelerator state integrator respectively, and the petawatt laser accelerator system has no faults and the protection system is not activated, and high-level signals are continuously output to the fourth electric pulse input channel of the accelerator state integrator; the accelerator state integrator performs a logical "AND" operation on the high-level signals received by the first to fourth electric pulse input channels, generates a high-level electric pulse signal and inputs it to the second event receiver, triggering the second event receiver to generate an uplink third event code, which is input to the event generator. The generation of the third event code marks the completion of the preparation stage of the petawatt laser accelerator system; 8) After receiving the third event code in the uplink, the event generator relays the third event code to the first to sixth event receivers; The third event code is configured in the third to sixth event codes; 9) The third event receiver receives and responds to the third event code, generates a trigger signal of an electric pulse, and inputs it into the menu system. After the menu system receives the trigger signal, it quickly moves from the initial position of shielding the petawatt laser pulse to the non-shielding position, and releases a petawatt laser pulse; the petawatt laser pulse passes through the plasma mirror to improve the contrast of the petawatt laser pulse, and then couples with the repetition rate target to generate a proton beam, which is transmitted to the irradiation therapy system to complete a round of target shooting and irradiation therapy; then the menu system quickly returns to the shielding position to prepare for the next round of petawatt laser pulse target shooting; At the same time, the fourth event receiver receives and responds to the third event code, generates a trigger signal of an electric pulse, and inputs it into the diagnostic device. After the diagnostic device receives the trigger signal, the diagnostic device is turned on to perform real-time diagnosis and monitoring of the interaction process between the petawatt laser pulse and the plasma; At the same time, the fifth and sixth event receivers also receive and respond to the third event code, and respectively generate a trigger signal of an electric pulse, which triggers the repetition rate target and the plasma mirror to move to the next target position, preparing for the next round of petawatt laser pulse target shooting.

5. The control method according to claim 4, characterized in that: In step 2), the amplitude range of the electric pulse signal is 2V to 5V.

6. The control method according to claim 4, characterized in that: In step 7), the amplitude range of the high level signal is 3.3V to 5V.

7. The control method of the petawatt laser proton knife event trigger timing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the petawatt laser accelerator system is first determined to be ready and then the irradiation therapy system is determined to be ready, wherein: The control method comprises the following steps: 1) The timing signal of the petawatt laser pulse emitted by the petawatt laser accelerator system; 2) The event generator is synchronized with the petawatt laser accelerator system, and the event generator sends a downlink second event code to the first to sixth event receivers at the same frequency as the petawatt laser accelerator system; only the second event receiver is configured with the second event code, and the second event receiver receives and responds to the second event code, generates a high-level signal and continuously inputs it into the first electrical pulse input channel of the accelerator state integrator; 3) After the accelerator status integrator receives the electrical pulse signal, if the repetition rate target is not in place, the plasma mirror is not in place, or the protection system is in an interlocked state, it indicates that the petawatt laser accelerator system does not currently have the beam-emitting conditions, and the event trigger timing system will not trigger the second event receiver; at this time, the event trigger timing system will remain in a standby state, waiting for the timing signal of the next petawatt laser pulse; 4) When the repetition rate target and the plasma mirror are in place, high-level signals are continuously output to the second and third electric pulse input channels of the accelerator state integrator respectively, and the petawatt laser accelerator system has no faults and the protection system is not activated, and high-level signals are continuously output to the fourth electric pulse input channel of the accelerator state integrator; the accelerator state integrator performs a logical "AND" operation on the high-level signals received by the first to fourth electric pulse input channels, generates a high-level electric pulse signal and inputs it to the second event receiver, triggering the second event receiver to generate an uplink first event code, which is input to the event generator. The generation of the first event code marks the completion of the preparation stage of the petawatt laser accelerator system; 5) After receiving the first event code in the uplink, the event generator broadcasts the first event code to the first to sixth event receivers; only if the first event receiver is configured with the same first event code, the first event receiver receives and responds to the first event code, generates an electrical pulse signal, and inputs it into the radiation therapy system; 6) After the radiation therapy system receives the electrical pulse signal, if the radiation therapy system is not ready, the radiation therapy system does not send any signal, the radiation therapy system will not start, and the event trigger timing system will wait for the timing signal of the next petawatt laser pulse, thereby ensuring the precise timing control of the petawatt laser pulse, avoiding unnecessary delays or errors in the treatment process, and ensuring the efficiency and safety of the treatment; 7) When the radiation therapy system is ready, the radiation therapy system generates a power generation pulse signal which is input to the first event receiver, triggering the first event receiver to generate an uplink third event code which is input to the event generator. The generation of the third event code indicates that the radiation therapy system has completed preparations and is ready to receive proton beams and implement treatment; 8) After receiving the third event code in the uplink, the event generator relays the third event code to the first to sixth event receivers; The third event code is configured in the third to sixth event codes; 9) The third event receiver receives and responds to the third event code, generates a trigger signal of an electric pulse, and inputs it into the menu system. After the menu system receives the trigger signal, it quickly moves from the initial position of shielding the petawatt laser pulse to the non-shielding position, and releases a petawatt laser pulse. After the petawatt laser pulse passes through the plasma mirror to improve the contrast of the petawatt laser pulse, it is coupled with the repetition rate target to generate a proton beam, which is transmitted to the irradiation therapy system to complete a round of target shooting and irradiation therapy; then the menu system quickly returns to the shielding position to prepare for the next round of petawatt laser pulse target shooting; At the same time, the fourth event receiver receives and responds to the third event code, generates a trigger signal of an electric pulse, and inputs it into the diagnostic device. After the diagnostic device receives the trigger signal, the diagnostic device is turned on to perform real-time diagnosis and monitoring of the interaction process between the petawatt laser pulse and the plasma; At the same time, the fifth and sixth event receivers also receive and respond to the third event code, and respectively generate a trigger signal of an electric pulse, which triggers the repetition rate target and the plasma mirror to move to the next target position, preparing for the next round of petawatt laser pulse target shooting.

8. The control method according to claim 4 or 7, characterized in that: In step 1), the frequency of the timing signal of the petawatt laser pulse emitted by the petawatt laser accelerator is 0.1 Hz to 10 Hz.

9. The control method according to claim 7, characterized in that: In step 4), the amplitude range of the high level signal is 3.3V to 5V.

10. The control method according to claim 7, characterized in that: In step 7), the amplitude range of the electric pulse signal is 2V to 5V.

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