Accelerating the Accelerators for the Advancement of Science
It was like a hammer blow when the doctor pronounced the fateful words - “advanced cancer”. The scenes raced through John’s mind – chemotherapy, irradiation, surgery, nausea, hair loss, and more unpleasant procedures and side effects. That is, until the doctor mentioned high-energy proton therapy – using positively charged atomic particles to destroy cancer cells more effectively and with fewer side effects. This is one of the most promising alternatives for treating resistant tumors, since protons can be controlled precisely with less exposure of healthy tissue.
This is just one of the scientific breakthroughs made possible by charged particles accelerated to incredibly high speeds using linear and circular accelerators to generate and maintain energy. The next one may be the Holy Grail of clean, cheap energy – nuclear fusion.
For over sixty years Thales has used its world-class R&D capabilities and testing facilities to make such innovations possible, providing radio frequency (RF) and microwave energy sources for researchers in particle physics and thermonuclear fusion. No wonder CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, chose Thales as the main supplier of RF for the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider.
Stéphane Bethuys, Marketing and Microwave & Imaging Sub-Systems Manager at Thales, explains that, “Beyond our commitment to equipment manufacturers involved in proton therapy, our long-term cooperation with leading scientific institutions lets us maintain our world-class expertise and unique technological portfolio for applied and fundamental research. Working closely with our customers, we deliver tailored solutions and turnkey systems for acceleration and fusion, with a full range of integration, support, and on-site development services.”
