The Console is where every session begins. Pick the machine, load an operating point, choose a mode and turn the beam on. From here you branch to:
1. Machine Config — the per-subsystem tabs where you build and tune a beam.
2. Service Screen – the service screen emulator that mimics that controls in Machine Config.
3. Physics – which holds the two virtual water tanks for scanning and calibrating the beams you saved.
4. Quality Assurance – where you can upload your real QA data.
5. Dose Calculation – the interface to run a dose calibration on the beams you saved.

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The Console is where every session begins. Pick the machine, load an operating point, choose a mode and turn the beam on. From here you branch to:
1. Machine Config — the per-subsystem tabs where you build and tune a beam.
2. Service Screen – the service screen emulator that mimics that controls in Machine Config.
3. Physics – which holds the two virtual water tanks for scanning and calibrating the beams you saved.
4. Quality Assurance – where you can upload your real QA data.
5. Dose Calculation – the interface to run a dose calibration on the beams you saved.

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Every screen under Machine Config shares the same frame. Only the inputs column and the schematic change from tab to tab — the controls, status, beam loader, live outputs and plot picker are always in the same place. Learn the frame once here; the rest of this manual covers only what changes per tab. The numbered markers below match the regions in the list.

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Three readouts appear on every tab; the rest depend on the subsystem you are viewing and are listed on each tab's page.

Every screen under Machine Config shares the same frame. Only the inputs column and the schematic change from tab to tab — the controls, status, beam loader, live outputs and plot picker are always in the same place. Learn the frame once here; the rest of this manual covers only what changes per tab. The numbered markers below match the regions in the list.

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Three readouts appear on every tab; the rest depend on the subsystem you are viewing and are listed on each tab's page.

Plots are shared across both simulators unless marked. Characteristic curves (Gun Filament, Gun High Voltage, Gun Grid) plot one quantity against another with a marker at the current operating point; signal plots show a quantity over time.

Showing the plots available on Varian. Click any plot to maximize it.

In-Plane

Water-tank scan

x Off-axis position (cm)

y Relative dose (%)

Water-tank dose profile along the in-plane (gun–target) axis. Read flatness and symmetry off the shoulders; penumbra off the edges.

Cross-Plane

Water-tank scan

x Off-axis position (cm)

y Relative dose (%)

Water-tank dose profile along the cross-plane axis, perpendicular to In-Plane.

Gun Filament

Characteristic curve

x Filament current (V)

y Gun current (A)

Gun emission against filament drive. The red marker is the current operating point on the curve.

Gun High Voltage

Characteristic curve

x High voltage (kV)

y Gun current (A)

Gun emission against gun high voltage, showing the space-charge-limited knee. Marker = operating point.

Dose Pulse

Signal vs time

x Time (s)

y Pulse (V)

Ion-chamber dose pulses over time. Each tooth is one beam pulse charging then bleeding off the integrator.

Forward RF Power

Signal vs time

x Time (µs)

y RF power output (MW)

Forward RF power delivered to the accelerating waveguide during the pulse.

PFN Cascade

Signal vs time

x Time (µs)

y Node voltage (kV)

Voltage at each LC node of the pulse-forming network as it discharges — the cascade that shapes the flat HV pulse.

Klystron Pulse Voltage

Signal vs time

x Time (µs)

y Voltage (kV)

Pulse voltage delivered to the klystron (Varian uses a klystron RF amplifier in place of a magnetron).

Klystron Pulse Current

Signal vs time

x Time (µs)

y Current (A)

Pulse current drawn by the klystron during the RF pulse.

Gun Grid

Characteristic curve

x Grid voltage (V)

y Gun current (A)

Gun emission against grid voltage — the triode gun's control characteristic. Elekta's diode gun has no grid, so this plot is Varian-only.

RF Reflected Pulse

Signal vs time

x Time (µs)

y Current (A)

Reflected RF / gun-current pulse over time, used to judge how well the load is matched.

These plots exist only on the other simulator — they reflect hardware Varian does not have (for example, a klystron vs a magnetron, or a triode vs a diode gun).

Plots are shared across both simulators unless marked. Characteristic curves (Gun Filament, Gun High Voltage, Gun Grid) plot one quantity against another with a marker at the current operating point; signal plots show a quantity over time.

Showing the plots available on Elekta. Click any plot to maximize it on the platform. Export any data to CSV. 

In-Plane

Water-tank scan

x Off-axis position (cm)

y Relative dose (%)

Water-tank dose profile along the in-plane (gun–target) axis. Read flatness and symmetry off the shoulders; penumbra off the edges.

Cross-Plane

Water-tank scan

x Off-axis position (cm)

y Relative dose (%)

Water-tank dose profile along the cross-plane axis, perpendicular to In-Plane.

Gun Filament

Characteristic curve

x Filament current (V)

y Gun current (A)

Gun emission against filament drive. The red marker is the current operating point on the curve.

Gun High Voltage

Characteristic curve

x High voltage (kV)

y Gun current (A)

Gun emission against gun high voltage, showing the space-charge-limited knee. Marker = operating point.

Gun Current Pulse

Signal vs time

x Time (µs)

y Gun current (A)

Shape of a single gun-current pulse over time — rise, flat-top and fall.

Dose Pulse

Signal vs time

x Time (s)

y Pulse (V)

Ion-chamber dose pulses over time. Each tooth is one beam pulse charging then bleeding off the integrator.

Flyback Transformer

Signal vs time

x Time (µs)

y Current (A) / Voltage (V)

Charging current (left axis) and voltage (right axis) of the flyback transformer during a charge cycle.

Magnetron Pulse Voltage

Signal vs time

x Time (µs)

y Voltage (kV)

Pulse voltage delivered to the magnetron — the discharge of the PFN through the pulse transformer.

Magnetron Pulse Current

Signal vs time

x Time (µs)

y Current (A)

Pulse current drawn by the magnetron during the RF pulse.

Forward RF Power

Signal vs time

x Time (µs)

y RF power output (MW)

Forward RF power delivered to the accelerating waveguide during the pulse.

PFN Cascade

Signal vs time

x Time (µs)

y Node voltage (kV)

Voltage at each LC node of the pulse-forming network as it discharges — the cascade that shapes the flat HV pulse.

These plots exist only on the other simulator — they reflect hardware Elekta does not have (for example, a klystron vs a magnetron, or a triode vs a diode gun).

Several subsystems carry a servo — a closed feedback loop that watches an output and continuously trims its input to hold the beam at its operating point. Every servo can be switched on or off, and that switch decides whether the simulator corrects your changes or lets them stand.

Several subsystems carry a servo — a closed feedback loop that watches an output and continuously trims its input to hold the beam at its operating point. Every servo can be switched on or off, and that switch decides whether the simulator corrects your changes or lets them stand.

A consolidated cockpit: the most-used inputs from across the beamline on one screen, with the full gun-to-target schematic. Load a beam and confirm output here before drilling into a subsystem.

Dose Rate, MU1 and MU2 appear on every tab; the rest are specific to this subsystem.

A consolidated cockpit gathering the most-used inputs across the beamline, with the full gun-to-target schematic. Load a beam and confirm output here before drilling into a subsystem.

Dose Rate, MU1 and MU2 appear on every tab; the rest are specific to this subsystem.

Controls the electron source and energy selection — the inputs that shape penetration and the off-axis profile. Steering for symmetry lives on the next tab.

Dose Rate, MU1 and MU2 appear on every tab; the rest are specific to this subsystem.

Controls the electron source and energy selection — the inputs that shape penetration and the off-axis profile, plus the gun servo and focus coils. Steering for symmetry lives on the next tab.

Dose Rate, MU1 and MU2 appear on every tab; the rest are specific to this subsystem.

All beam steering — the three coil pairs down the waveguide plus their calibrations and servos. The buncher coils (gun end) are the most sensitive; angle coils sit nearest the target.

Dose Rate, MU1 and MU2 appear on every tab; the rest are specific to this subsystem.

All beam steering — the 1-series coils (gun end, most sensitive) and 2-series coils (mid-guide), their calibrations, balances, focus coils and servos.

Dose Rate, MU1 and MU2 appear on every tab; the rest are specific to this subsystem.

The PFN circuit: charges the pulse-forming network and discharges it through the klystron to form each RF pulse. Set the charging supply and PFN component values here.

Dose Rate, MU1 and MU2 appear on every tab; the rest are specific to this subsystem.

The modulator charges the pulse-forming network (PFN) and discharges it through the magnetron to form each RF pulse. Set the charging supply and PFN component values here.

Dose Rate, MU1 and MU2 appear on every tab; the rest are specific to this subsystem.

Pulse timing for the modulator: the start times and durations that sequence the RF driver, the PFN discharge and the gun pulse against the main trigger.

Dose Rate, MU1 and MU2 appear on every tab; the rest are specific to this subsystem.

Generates and tunes the RF that accelerates the beam. The AFC (Automatic Frequency Control) servo keeps the drive frequency on the accelerator's resonance as the machine warms.

Dose Rate, MU1 and MU2 appear on every tab; the rest are specific to this subsystem.

Tunes the magnetron and the AFC servo that keeps it on the accelerator's resonance. The tuner position and line-stretcher phase set the operating point; the AFC servo can hold it automatically.

Dose Rate, MU1 and MU2 appear on every tab; the rest are specific to this subsystem.

Photon production and beam shaping downstream of the bending magnet: target, flattening filter, monitor chamber and the collimator jaws that set field size.

Photon production and beam shaping downstream of the bending magnet: target, flattening filter, monitor chamber and collimator jaws.

The monitor (ion) chamber and dose servo. The chamber is split into segments (A–J) whose charges combine into the two dose channels and the symmetry/flatness error signals.

Dose Rate, MU1 and MU2 appear on every tab; the rest are specific to this subsystem.

The monitor (ion) chamber and gun servo. The chamber's hump and dose segments measure uniformity; their offsets feed the gun servo that holds output steady.

Dose Rate, MU1 and MU2 appear on every tab; the rest are specific to this subsystem.

A block diagram of the cooling loop that removes heat from each linac subsystem through a heat exchanger and reservoir. This screen is read-only: every cooled component reports its temperature and coolant flow.

Every component on the cooling diagram reports two read-only values: its coolant temperature and flow.

A block diagram of the cooling loop removing heat from each linac subsystem through a heat exchanger and reservoir. This screen is read-only: every cooled component reports its temperature and coolant flow.

Every component on the cooling diagram reports two read-only values: its coolant temperature and flow.

Runs a full water tank scan to produce the photon beam's fluence and its percentage depth dose (PDD). The two left-hand plots show the bremsstrahlung fluence coming off the target — against photon energy, and against emission angle — while the right-hand plot gives the PDD with d-max and the dose at 10 cm marked. The PDD can also be obtained from the Scanning Water Tank.

Dose Rate, MU1 and MU2 appear on every tab; the rest are specific to this subsystem.

Runs a full water tank scan to produce the photon beam's fluence and its percentage depth dose (PDD). The two left-hand plots show the bremsstrahlung fluence coming off the target — against photon energy, and against emission angle — while the right-hand plot gives the PDD with d-max and the dose at 10 cm marked. The PDD can also be obtained from the Scanning Water Tank.

Dose Rate, MU1 and MU2 appear on every tab; the rest are specific to this subsystem.

Model-calibration constants: the coil calibration factors, energy-spread and gun-alignment terms, PFN component values and jaw elevations that tie the simulation to a real machine. These are set once for an operating point rather than tuned beam to beam, and several are shared with the Service Mode preset screens.

Model-calibration constants: the coil calibration factors, energy-spread and gun-alignment terms, PFN component values and jaw elevations that tie the simulation to a real machine. 

The Scanning Water Tank runs dose scans on any beam you built and saved in Machine Config — no measurement hardware required. Set to Physics Mode → Scanning Water Tank on the Console and then navigate to the Physics tab. Load beams and set up scans in Perform Scan then compare scans on the same plot in Compare. 

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The Scanning Water Tank runs dose scans on any beam you built and saved in Machine Config — no measurement hardware required. Set to Physics Mode → Scanning Water Tank on the Console and then navigate to the Physics tab. Load beams and set up scans in Perform Scan then compare scans on the same plot in Compare. 

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The Compare tab overlays multiple stored scans on a single plot, grouped by scan type, and can normalize them against golden beam data — the reference dataset for the beam model. A metrics table summarizes d_max, point doses and the D10/D20 ratio for each scan.

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The Compare tab overlays multiple stored scans on a single plot, grouped by scan type, and can normalize them against golden beam data — the reference dataset for the beam model. A metrics table summarizes d_max, point doses and the D10/D20 ratio for each scan.

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The second water tank is the Calibrating Water Tank. Instead of scanning profiles, it lets you work through a mock reference-dosimetry calibration — a TG51 or TRS-398 protocol — by positioning a chamber at depth, taking electrometer readings and entering them into the protocol form. Reach it from the Console (Physics Mode → Calibrating Water Tank).

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The second water tank is the Calibrating Water Tank. Instead of scanning profiles, it lets you work through a mock reference-dosimetry calibration — a TG51 or TRS-398 protocol — by positioning a chamber at depth, taking electrometer readings and entering them into the protocol form. Reach it from the Console (Physics Mode → Calibrating Water Tank).

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The Service Screen is a copy of Machine Config presented in an interface that matches a real Varian service screen. Changes made in either screen are reflected in the other, so you can set your machine parameters here and investigate the outputs exactly as you would in Machine Config.

Select a machine and Service Mode, then open the Service Screen tab. You land on your default screen. These screens are fully configurable — colours, parameter names, parameter order and the tabs themselves.

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Service Screen tab

Opens Service Mode for the machine you selected.

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Open Color Picker Modal

Opens the Color Customization pop-up.

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Config Parameters

Switches the screen into edit mode.

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Machine State

Machine and beam state, water temperature and user ID.

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Set and Actual columns

The value you asked for beside the value the machine is producing.

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Machine and beam controls

Machine On and Off, Beam ON and OFF.

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Parameter group tabs

Dose Cal, Beam Flatness/Symm, High Voltage and RF System.

Selecting Open Color Picker Modal brings up the Color Customization pop-up, where you set the primary and secondary backgrounds, the active and inactive inputs and the active and inactive buttons. Save Changes applies them; Discard Changes backs out.

Selecting Config Parameters switches the screen into edit mode.

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Open Color Picker Modal

Stays available while you are in edit mode.

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Drag handle

The three-lined icon to the left of a parameter — drag it to move the parameter.

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Edit icon

To the right of a parameter — opens the rename pop-up.

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Add a tab

The + button at the tabs adds another tab for you to name and populate.

On Varian the profile plots sit below the screen. Set values sit beside actual values throughout, so you can compare what you asked the machine for against what it is producing.

The Service Screen is a copy of Machine Config presented in an interface that matches a real Elekta service screen. Changes made in either screen are reflected in the other, so you can set your machine parameters here and investigate the outputs exactly as you would in Machine Config.

Select a machine and Service Mode, then open the Service Screen tab. You land on your default screen. These screens are fully configurable — colours, parameter names, parameter order and the tabs themselves.

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Service Screen tab

Opens Service Mode for the machine you selected.

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Open Color Picker Modal

Opens the Color Customization pop-up.

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Config Parameters

Switches the screen into edit mode.

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Parameter group tabs

Machine State, Beam Generation, System and Dose Calibration.

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Set and Actual columns

The value you asked for beside the value the machine is producing.

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Beam group tabs

Beam Flatness, Beam Symm and High Voltage/RF.

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Machine and beam controls

Machine On and Off, Next Beam and Terminate.

Selecting Open Color Picker Modal brings up the Color Customization pop-up, where you set the primary and secondary backgrounds, the active and inactive inputs and the active and inactive buttons. Save Changes applies them; Discard Changes backs out.

Selecting Config Parameters switches the screen into edit mode.

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Open Color Picker Modal

Stays available while you are in edit mode.

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Drag handle

The three-lined icon to the left of a parameter — drag it to move the parameter.

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Edit icon

To the right of a parameter — opens the rename pop-up.

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Add a tab

The + button at the tabs adds another tab for you to name and populate.

On Elekta the profile plots sit to the right of the screen. Set values sit beside actual values throughout, so you can compare what you asked the machine for against what it is producing.

Import your real QA data from TotalQA by Image Owl. Connect with an API key to reach every report across your machines and sites, then overlay a measured plot onto the simulator in Machine Config to match your beam model virtually.

In the username drop-down in the top-right corner, navigate to TotalQA API Keys and enter the API key found in your TotalQA account. This links your data.

If a key is already stored, submitting a new one overwrites it. Use Delete current key to clear it instead.

The three drop-downs select site, machine and schedule to populate your QA reports exactly as they appear in TotalQA.

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Whichever report is selected and has its plot visible becomes available to overlay on your plots in Machine Config.

Switch to Machine Config and turn on Plot TotalQA data. Your measured curve is drawn against the simulated one, so you can tune inputs until the model matches the machine.

Import your real QA data from TotalQA by Image Owl. Connect with an API key to reach every report across your machines and sites, then overlay a measured plot onto the simulator in Machine Config to match your beam model virtually.

In the username drop-down in the top-right corner, navigate to TotalQA API Keys and enter the API key found in your TotalQA account. This links your data.

If a key is already stored, submitting a new one overwrites it. Use Delete current key to clear it instead.

The three drop-downs select site, machine and schedule to populate your QA reports exactly as they appear in TotalQA.

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Whichever report is selected and has its plot visible becomes available to overlay on your plots in Machine Config.

Switch to Machine Config and turn on Plot TotalQA data. Your measured curve is drawn against the simulated one, so you can tune inputs until the model matches the machine.

Perform a four-field dose calculation to investigate dose distributions. Set up the calculation on the Set Parameters tab, run it, then read the resulting multi-field distribution on the Results tab.

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The Results tab lists calculated and already-calculated beams. Clicking a result shows its dose distribution plot alongside the set-up parameters it was run with.

Delete Run removes the scan from the Results tab. This is not reversible.

Perform a four-field dose calculation to investigate dose distributions. Set up the calculation on the Set Parameters tab, run it, then read the resulting multi-field distribution on the Results tab.

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The Results tab lists calculated and already-calculated beams. Clicking a result shows its dose distribution plot alongside the set-up parameters it was run with.

Delete Run removes the scan from the Results tab. This is not reversible.