A single-particle/single-cell microbeam based on an isotopic alpha source

A single-cell/single-particle microbeam has been designed in which the radiation source is a high specific-activity alpha-particle emitting radioisotope, rather than a particle accelerator. The source is imaged at the focal point of a compound magnetic lens array. A novel precision microscope stage with an extremely compact design is included with the endstation's locating, targeting and imaging system. This arrangement allows a 4 m long vertical beamline without any bending magnets. The permanent magnet lens design is derived from an electrostatic lens used in our laboratory in an accelerator-based microbeam. The stand-alone microbeam is expected to produce a 10 μm diameter beam, and will serve as a high-end instrument in a biology laboratory, to precisely deposit ionizing radiation damage within single cells.