Design studies of the 300 AMeV superconducting cyclotron for hadrontherapy

The design study of a compact superconducting cyclotron for hadrontherapy being carried out at Laboratori Nazionali del Sud (LNS), Catania. This machine is able to accelerate light ions with a charge to mass ratio of 0,5 to a maximum energy of 300 AMeV. Light ions like carbon will be extracted by electrostatic deflectors. The range of 12C at 300 AMeV is 174 mm in water and it is enough to treat all the tumours of the head and neck district. The machine accelerates also the ionised hydrogen molecule H2 + to 250 AMeV, which is exracted by stripping, giving a proton beam with an energy of 250 AMeV. The range in water of proton beam with this energy being 370 mm, allowing the treatments of the whole tumours. The main parameters of the cyclotron and the main beam dynamics features will be presented