Speaker
Description
At the Research Center for Accelerator and Radioisotope Science (RARiS), Tohoku University, we operate and maintain an electron linear accelerator (LINAC) and an AVF cyclotron, selecting between these accelerators according to the production purpose and the nuclide of interest. Through our joint-use program as a shared user facility, we carry out routine production and supply of radioisotopes to support basic research and related activities.
Within the TOMOE project, our group is responsible for producing radioisotopes and supplying them to the Radiopharmaceutical Group. At present in TOMOE, copper-64 ($^{64}$Cu) is produced in the $^{68}$Zn($\gamma$,pn) reaction with bremsstrahlung generated by the electron linac, and bromine-77 ($^{77}$Br) is produced in the $^{nat}$Se(p,xn) reaction with protons accelerated by the AVF cyclotron. These productions are implemented as part of the project’s routine operations at RARiS.
In this presentation, we will briefly introduce the supply of these radioisotopes and examine the nuclear reaction pathways for producing the intended radioisotopes. For example, in addition to the $^{68}$Zn($\gamma$,pn) route used for $^{64}$Cu, this nuclide can also be produced in the $^{64}$Ni(p,n) reaction or the $^{64}$Zn(n,p) reaction. We will compare candidate production routes by evaluating production efficiency in terms of the incident particle and cross-section, while also considering target availability.
