Users Manual Part 7

IBA | H-14 | Clinical User’s Guide
Volume 1 - Treatment Session
Glossary of Terms
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Power Amplifier (PA)
A component of the RF system located upstream of the accelerator (cyclotron). See
also: Accelerator, Radio Frequency.
Power Supply (PS)
Provides electrical power to PTS equipment.
Power Supply Room (PSR)
Where the majority of the power supplies, controllers, and Treatment Control System
(TRCS) components, which control the equipment, are located. See also: Power
Supply.
Printed Circuit Board (PCB)
An electrical circuit formed by applying conductive material in fine lines or other
shapes to an insulating sheet. A component used in many electrical devices used
throughout the PTS. See also: Electronic Unit.
Programmable Logic Controller (PLC)
An electronic device used in the PTS. See also: Accelerator Control Unit.
Programmable ROM (PROM)
A type of computer memory technology. See also: Random Access Memory, Read-
only Memory.
Proton
A proton is a subatomic particle found in the nucleus of every atom. The particle has
a positive electrical charge, equal and opposite to that of the electron. If isolated, a
single proton would have a mass of only 1.673 x 10
-27
kilogram, just slightly less than
the mass of a neutron.
The number of protons in an element's nucleus is called the atomic number. This
number gives each element its unique identity. In the atoms of any particular
element, the number of protons in the nuclei is always the same. An atom of simple
hydrogen has a nucleus consisting of a single proton all by itself. The nuclei of all
other elements nearly always contain neutrons in addition to protons.
Protons need not be confined to the nuclei of atoms. When protons are found
outside atomic nuclei, they acquire fascinating, bizarre, and potentially dangerous
properties, similar to those of neutrons in similar circumstances. But protons have
an additional property. Because they carry an electric charge, they can be accelerated
by electric and/or magnetic fields. High-speed protons, and atomic nuclei containing
them, are emitted in large numbers during solar flares. The particles are accelerated
by the earth's magnetic field, causing ionospheric disturbances known as
geomagnetic storms.
Proton Therapy Equipment (PTE)
Any component of the PTS. See also: Proton Therapy System.