Patent ID: 8878464

Claim:
A brachytherapy device for applying particle beam radiation to a target region within a patient, comprising: an applicator for insertion toward a desired location within the patient for effecting particle beam radiation therapy; and a laser plasma accelerator positioned within the applicator to generate particle beams by driving electrons in a plasma via Wakefield acceleration, the laser plasma accelerator having a voltage gradient between 30 GeV/m and 200 GeV/m, wherein the laser plasma accelerator includes: an accelerator channel having a diameter of 200 micrometers and a length in a range of 1-2 mm; the accelerator channel including a low density gas therein which is ionized upon exposure to a laser pre-pulse or to an electrical discharge; and a laser focusing device for focusing a Wakefield laser pulse into the accelerator channel to push electrons in the plasma off of their nucleus, the electrons being accelerated while riding the wake of the Wakefield laser pulse to a voltage in the range of 5-70 MeV.