Production of $^{93,94,95,96}$Tc through $^{7}$Li+$^{nat}$Zr and $^{9}$Be+$^{nat}$Y reactions: Measurement of excitation functions

TL;DR

This study measures excitation functions for Tc radionuclide production via two different nuclear reactions, comparing experimental data with theoretical models, and confirms compound nuclear reactions as the main mechanism.

Contribution

First-time measurement of excitation functions for Tc radionuclides produced through $^{7}$Li+$^{nat}$Zr and $^{9}$Be+$^{89}$Y reactions, with comparison to nuclear reaction models.

Findings

Experimental excitation functions agree well with PACE-II and ALICE91 predictions.

Compound nuclear reactions are the dominant mechanism in residue formation.

New data on Tc production routes for medical and industrial applications.

Abstract

For the first time two separate production routes of Tc radionuclides have been studied bombarding $^{7}$Li on $^{nat}$Zr and $^{9}$Be on $^{89}$Y. Excitation functions of the evaporation residues produced in those reactions have been measured using stacked-foil technique followed by the $\gamma$-spectrometric studies in the energy range 37-45 MeV and 30-48 MeV respectively. Measured excitation functions have been compared with those calculated using the nuclear reaction model codes PACE-II and ALICE91. Experimental results show good agreement with the theoretical predictions. Compound nuclear reaction is the key mechanism in producing evaporation residues.