9.1
Design of medical Linac systems
9.2
The previous chapter described the basic physics and engineering principles behind linacs, specifically the accelerating components that generate a high-energy electron beam at the end of the waveguide. In this chapter, we extend this discussion to consider beam shaping and other factors. However, it is first necessary to have a basic understanding of the design of medical linear accelerators. For this purpose, it is useful to begin with a discussion of history since many of the technologies used today are a direct outgrowth of these historical systems.