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Abstract Conventional radiotherapy is mainly applied by linear accelerators. Although linear accelerators provide dual (electron/photon) radiation beam modalities, both of them are intrinsically produced by a megavoltage electron current. Modern radiotherapy treatment techniques are based on suitable devices inserted or attached to conventional linear accelerators. Thus, precise control of delivered beam becomes a main key issue. This work presents an integral description of electron beam deflection control as required for novel radiotherapy technique based on convergent photon beam production. Theoretical and Monte Carlo approaches were initially used for designing and optimizing device´s components. Then, dedicated instrumentation was developed for experimental verification of electron beam deflection due to the designed magnets. Both Monte Carlo simulations and experimental results support the reliability of electrodynamics models used to predict megavoltage electron beam control. Highlights • Novel method for high energy electron beam control is presented and investigated. • Deflection systems based on permanent magnets demonstrated promising capability. • Experiments, theory and Monte Carlo characterized radiotherapy beam deflection. • Electron beam from clinical linear accelerators can be suitably controlled. • Very good agreement was found between theory, simulation and experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mechanical spectroscopy (damping and elastic modulus as a function of temperature) and transmission electron microscopy studies have been performed in high purity polycrystalline molybdenum plastically deformed to different values of tensile and torsion strain. Mechanical spectroscopy measurements were performed from room temperature up to 1285 K. A relaxation peak in polycrystalline molybdenum related to the movement of dislocations into lower energy configurations near grain boundaries has been discovered to appear around 1170 K. The activation energy of the peak is 4.2 eV ± 0.5 eV. This relaxation phenomenon involves the interaction between vacancies and mobile dislocations near the grain boundaries. It should be highlighted that this relaxation process is controlled by the arrangement of vacancies and dislocations which occur at temperature below 1070 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]