Production cross section of 197m Hg induced by deuterons on natural gold target
Résumé
The main purpose is to extend and complete the cross section data base for reactions producing medicals radionuclides. In this case, the study is focused on the production of the 197mHg (T1/2 = 23.8h) which emits only low energies gammas emissions, 70-410 keV with main emissions at 134 keV 33% and 279.01 keV 6%. These features make the 197mHg a great candidate for the SPECT imagery. The best way to produce it is the reaction induced by deuterons on gold target. The natural gold is monoisotopic which brings advantages on the restriction of the mercury isotopes production. Moreover, the mercury extraction from the gold can be easily made by dry process.
The cross section values were obtained at the ARRONAX cyclotron in Nantes, France by the stacked foils technique in vacuum enclosure. The particle flux of the beam crossing the stack made of gold, titanium and aluminum foils was evaluated with a Faraday cup placed inside the enclosure. These new set-up devoted to cross section measurements has been set-up and tested in well-known conditions. The titanium foils serve as monitor and allow the comparison of the particle flux measured by the Faraday cup. The monitor cross section values used are those recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The purpose of the Faraday cup is to obtain lower uncertainty than introduced by the monitor method. The produced activities were assessed using an HPGe detector coupled with the analysis software Fitzpeaks.
The results obtained show that the new experimental set-up works well and the results are in good agreement with the IAEA recommended cross section values and other available data in the literature. The cross sections obtained for the reactions 197Au(d,x)197(m),195(m)Hg,198(m),196(m)Au with a deuteron beam up to 33 MeV will be shown. The satisfying results obtained show that this method can be used to measure production cross sections and complete data base for radionuclides of interest.
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