Production of medically useful bromine isotopes via alpha-induced nuclear reactions

Abstract

The cross sections of α-particle induced reactions on arsenic leading to the formation of 76,77,78Br were measured from their respective thresholds up to 37 MeV. Thin sediments of elemental arsenic powder were irradiated together with Al degrader and Cu monitor foils using the established stacked-foil technique. For determination of the effective α-particle energies and of the effective beam current through the stacks the cross-section ratios of the monitor nuclides 67Ga/66Ga were used. This should help resolve discrepancies in existing literature data. Comparison of the data with the available excitation functions shows some slight energy shifts as well as some differences in curve shapes. The calculated thick target yields indicate, that 77Br can be produced in the energy range Eα = 25 → 17 MeV free of isotopic impurities in quantities sufficient for medical application