Patent ID: 8487278

Claim:
An X-ray apparatus as part of a particle beam cancer therapy system, said particle beam cancer therapy system irradiating a tumor of a patient with a charged particle beam during use, said apparatus comprising: an X-ray generation source located within forty millimeters of the charged particle beam, wherein said X-ray source maintains a single static position: (1) during use of said X-ray source and (2) during tumor treatment with the charged particle beam; an electron generating cathode having a first cross-sectional distance, wherein X-rays are generated by electrons from said cathode striking said tungsten anode; a control electrode; a plurality of accelerating electrodes; a magnetic lens; and a quadrupole magnet, all of said control electrode, said accelerating electrodes, said magnetic lens, and said quadrupole magnet located between said cathode and said anode, said control electrode, said accelerating electrodes, said magnetic lens, and said quadrupole magnet combining to form a substantially parallel electron beam with an electron beam cross-sectional area, wherein a cross-sectional area of said cathode is greater than eight times that of the electron beam cross-sectional area, wherein said X-ray generation source comprises a tungsten anode, wherein said substantially parallel electron beam comprises an oblong cross-sectional shape, wherein geometry of said X-ray generation source yields an X-ray beam comprising a nearly circular cross sectional shape when struck by the electron beam having said oblong cross-sectional shape, the X-ray beam running substantially in parallel with the charged particle beam, and wherein X-rays emitted from said X-ray source run substantially in parallel with the charged particle beam.