A new way of taming ions can improve future health care
A group of researchers at Chalmers University of Technology has discovered a completely new way of using lasers to accelerate ion beams. In time, the new technique could possibly give more people access to advanced cancer treatment. The results were recently published in the high impact journal Physical Review Letters.Advanced ion technology may in some cases be used to treat otherwise inoperable tumors, such as brain tumors. The treatment involves a concentrated beam of ions that knock out the cancer cells, without damaging the healthy surrounding tissue. This is accomplished by the use