Upgrade of the HIVIPP Deposition Apparatus for Nuclear Physics Thin Targets Manufacturing

The High Energy Vibrational Powder Plating (HIVIPP) technique allows for the preparation of targets starting from refractory metal powders with negligible material losses during the process, thus preserving the expensive isotope-enriched materials. An upgraded HIVIPP apparatus was developed at the Legnaro National Laboratory of the National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN-LNL), and it is reported in this work. Particular attention was paid to the design of the sample holder, the automation of the power supply, and the control of the process, all with the aim of obtaining a versatile and reliable apparatus. Several tests have been carried out and the related results are reported proving the flexibility of the apparatus and the process reproducibility. The main result is a 'ready to use' technology at INFN-LNL for the preparation of isotopically enriched refractory metal targets that cannot be manufactured using standard techniques

New direct measurement of the 10 B(p,α) 7 Be reaction with the activation technique

Boron plays an important role in astrophysics and, together with lithium and beryllium, is a probe of stellar structure during the pre-main sequence and main-sequence phases. In this context, the 10 B(p, α ) 7 Be reaction is of particular interest.The literature data show discrepancies in the energy range between 100 keV and 2 MeV. This also poses a normalization problem for indirect data obtained with the Trojan Horse Method.A new measurement of the 10 B(p, α ) 7 Be reaction cross section was performed at Legnaro National Laboratories (LNL). At LNL, the cross section was determined with the activation technique by measuring the activated samples at a low-background counting facility. The analysis of that experiment is now complete and the results are here presented

First characterisation of natural radioactivity in building materials manufactured in Albania

This study focuses on the radiological characterisation of building materials manufactured in Albania by using a high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometer. The average activity concentrations of (40)K, (226)Ra and (232)Th were, respectively, 644.1±64.2, 33.4 ± 6.4 and 42.2 ± 7.6 Bq kg(-1) in the clay brick samples and 179.7 ± 48.9, 55.0 ± 5.8 and 17.0 ± 3.3 Bq kg(-1) in the cement samples. The calculated activity concentration index (ACI), varied from 0.48±0.02 to 0.63±0.04 in the clay brick samples and from 0.29±0.03 to 0.37±0.02 in the cement samples. Based on the ACI, all of the clay brick and cement samples were categorised as A1 materials. The authors can exclude (at 3σ level) any restriction of their use as bulk materials

Il Radgyro: un autogiro dedicato ad acquisizioni airborne multiparametriche

This study summarizes the main characteristic of the Radgyro, an auotgyro dedicated to multiparametric airborne acquisitions. This aircraft was imagined, designed and realized to host two cameras, an infrared camera, a thermographic camera, five gamma-ray spectrometers as well as a GPS antenna network, a inertial navigation system, a radar altimeter and the electronic system necessary to the automatic, simultaneous and independent use of the entire instrumentation. Thanks to a carrying capacity of 130 kg, 4 hours of flight autonomy and a low overhead, the Radgyro is the ideal vehicle for multiparametric surveys of wide areas, where the use of drones is limited by the carrying capacity and by the flight autonomy. Finally the results of preliminary photogrammetric surveys and the possible future applications of the aircraft are presented

New direct measurement of the 10

Boron plays an important role in astrophysics and, together with lithium and beryllium, is a probe of stellar structure during the pre-main sequence and main-sequence phases. In this context, the 10B(p,α)7 Be reaction is of particular interest. The literature data show discrepancies in the energy range between 100 keV and 2 MeV. This also poses a normalization problem for indirect data obtained with the Trojan Horse Method. A new measurement of the 10B(p,α)7 Be reaction cross section was performed at Legnaro National Laboratories (LNL). At LNL, the cross section was determined with the activation technique by measuring the activated samples at a low-background counting facility. The analysis of that experiment is now complete and the results are here presented

Cyclotron production of theranostic radionuclides: 67Cu and 47Sc

Il lavoro descritto in questa tesi di dottorato è stato sviluppato nell’ambito del progetto LARAMED (LAboratory of RAdioisotopes for MEDicine), una branca del progetto SPES (Selective Production of Exotic Species), presso i Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro dell’Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN-LNL). Il progetto LARAMED si propone di studiare la produzione di radionuclidi per la realizzazione di nuovi radiofarmaci, utilizzando il fascio di protoni generato dal ciclotrone SPES. Questo lavoro riporta i principali risultati ottenuti con i progetti COME (COpper MEasurement) e PASTA (Production with Accelerator of Sc-47 for Theranostic Applications) nei quali ho lavorato durante i tre anni di dottorato. Poiché la conoscenza accurata delle sezioni d’urto è il primo step nell’ottimizzazione della produzione di radioisotopi, entrambi i progetti erano focalizzati su queste misure, rispettivamente per il 67Cu e lo 47Sc, usando fasci di protoni di energia fino a 70 MeV. Il 67Cu e lo 47Sc sono radionuclidi teranostici (entrambi emettitori γ- e β- che possono anche essere accoppiati con isotopi β+), permettendo la selezione dei pazienti che hanno una buona probabilità di rispondere positivamente allo specifico radiofarmaco con imaging SPECT (o PET) prima della terapia. Un reale problema da risolvere è la mancanza di disponibilità di 67Cu e 47Sc, come sottolineato dal CRP IAEA (No. F22053) focalizzato sulla produzione dei radionuclidi teranostici 67Cu, 186Re e 47Sc. Nel progetto COME sono state realizzate le prime misure delle sezioni d’urto 70Zn(p,x)67Cu, 64Cu, 67Ga, 66Ga, 65Zn and 69mZn nel range energetico 45-70 MeV. Questi risultati, confrontati con la ben nota reazione nucleare 68Zn(p,x)67,64Cu, mi ha permesso di trovare un range di energia ottimale per massimizzare la produzione di 67Cu e nello stesso tempo minimizzare la produzione dell’isotopo contaminante 64Cu; questo risultato è descritto nel Patent Internazionale n° WO 2019/220224 A1 (Novembre 2019). Nel progetto PASTA sono state investigate le reazioni nucleari indotte da protoni su bersagli di 48Ti e natV. I risultati delle sezioni d’urto delle reazioni nucleari 48Ti(p,x) 47Sc, 46Sc, 44Sc, 44mSc mostrano un trend regolare in accordo con i dati di letteratura. Sono anche stati ottenuti i risultati delle sezioni d’urto natV(p,x)47Sc, 46Sc, 44Sc, 44mSc, 43Sc, 48Sc, 48Cr, 49Cr, 51Cr, 48V, 42K, 43K che sono state confrontate con i dati di letteratura e con alcune stime teoriche. Sono anche stati realizzati dei calcoli di produzione su bersagli spessi, sia nel caso del 67Cu che dello 47Sc per studiare la fattibilità di una reale produzione sfruttando le reazioni nucleari studiate ed il ciclotrone presente presso i LNL. Nel caso dello 47Sc, sono stati effettuati anche calcoli dosimetrici, considerando il radiofarmaco DOTA-folate conjugate cm10 ([47Sc]-cm10). L’incremento della dose efficace dovuta alla presenza di una piccola contaminazione dovuta alla co-produzione di 46Sc è inferiore al 10%, limite richiesto per uso clinico del radiofarmaco, per Ep<35 MeV.The work described in this Ph.D. thesis was carried out in the framework of the LARAMED (LAboratory of RAdioisotopes for MEDicine) project at the Legnaro National Laboratories of the National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN-LNL). The LARAMED project is a branch of SPES (Selective Production of Exotic Species) with the purpose to evaluate the cyclotron-based production of emerging radionuclides to produce innovative radiopharmaceuticals. This work reports the main results obtained in the COME (COpper MEasurement) and PASTA (Production with Accelerator of Sc-47 for Theranostic Applications) projects in which I was involved in the three years of my Ph.D.. Since the accurate knowledge of the reaction cross section is the first step in the optimization of radioisotope production, both projects were focused on these measurements, for 67Cu and 47Sc respectively, by using proton beams up to 70 MeV. 67Cu and 47Sc are theranostic radionuclides as they can decay simultaneously by γ- and β- emission. This property allows visualization of a specific biological target by γ imaging that, in turn, can be used for applying selectively targeted β- therapy. Worldwide a real problem to be solved is the lack of 67Cu and 47Sc availability, as underlined by the IAEA CRP (No. F22053) focused on the production of the theranostic radionuclides 67Cu, 186Re and 47Sc. In the COME project the first measurements of the 70Zn(p,x)67Cu, 64Cu, 67Ga, 66Ga, 65Zn, and 69mZn cross sections in the 45-70 MeV energy range were obtained. These results, compared with the well-known 68Zn(p,x)67,64Cu nuclear reaction, allowed us to find an optimal energy range to maximize the 67Cu production and, in the same time, minimize the co-produced 64Cu; this result is described in the International Patent n° WO 2019/220224 A1 (November 2019). In the PASTA project the proton-induced reactions on 48Ti and natV targets were investigated. The cross sections values obtained for the 48Ti(p,x)47Sc, 46Sc, 44Sc, 44mSc nuclear reactions show a regular trend, in agreement with the previous experimental data. The results of the natV(p,x)47Sc, 46Sc, 44Sc, 44mSc, 43Sc, 48Sc, 48Cr, 49Cr, 51Cr, 48V, 42K, 43K cross sections were also obtained and compared with literature data and theoretical calculations. Calculations of the Thick Target Yield were also performed for both 67Cu and 47Sc to study the feasibility of their real production by exploiting the nuclear reactions investigated and the 70 MeV proton cyclotron installed at INFN-LNL. For the 47Sc case, dosimetric calculations were performed considering the DOTA-folate conjugate cm10 ([47Sc]-cm10) radiopharmaceutical; the effective Dose Increase (DI) due to the presence of a small amount of the co-produced contaminant 46Sc for Ep<35 MeV was maintained within the 10%, limit required for the radiopharmaceutical clinical use

67Cu Production Capabilities: A Mini Review

Is the 67Cu production worldwide feasible for expanding preclinical and clinical studies? How can we face the ingrowing demands of this emerging and promising theranostic radionuclide for personalized therapies? This review looks at the different production routes, including the accelerator- and reactor-based ones, providing a comprehensive overview of the actual 67Cu supply, with brief insight into its use in non-clinical and clinical studies. In addition to the most often explored nuclear reactions, this work focuses on the 67Cu separation and purification techniques, as well as the target material recovery procedures that are mandatory for the economic sustainability of the production cycle. The quality aspects, such as radiochemical, chemical, and radionuclidic purity, with particular attention to the coproduction of the counterpart 64Cu, are also taken into account, with detailed comparisons among the different production routes. Future possibilities related to new infrastructures are included in this work, as well as new developments on the radiopharmaceuticals aspects

Nuclear data for light charged particle induced production of emerging medical radionuclides

International audienceWhatever the radionuclide to be used in nuclear medicine, it is essential to know the expected yield during the production process, but also of all the possible radionuclidic impurities coproduced, that can have an impact on the product final quality, as well as in the related waste management. The availability of the majority of emerging radioisotopes, including the theranostic ones or pairs, is mainly limited by the fact that, for most of them, the optimal production route still needs to be strengthened if not defined in some cases. The aim of this work is to present a review on the charged particle induced nuclear cross sections to produce some emerging radionuclides for medical applications to show that all types of projectiles should be considered in the quest of producing medical radionuclides. An accurate analysis of the production routes is presented for some radionuclides ( 67 Cu, 47 Sc, 89 Zr, 103 Pd, 186g Re, 97 Ru, 211 At) chosen as examples to highlight (i) how the quality of the final product strongly depends on the chosen target/projectile/energy parameters set, (ii) how deuteron production routes may sometimes be more effective than the proton ones or lead to a different impurity profile and (iii) how α-particle beams may allow to bypass the limitations occurring when using Z = 1 beams. An overview of possible advantages and drawbacks of the cited production routes and of potential cross sections that still need to be measured, is also reported

New production cross sections for the theranostic radionuclide 67 Cu

International audienc