Radioisotopes production using lasers: from basic science to applications

Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 2004

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a powerful diagnostic/imaging technique requiring the production of the short-lived positron emitting isotopes 11 C, 13 N, 15 O and 18 F by proton irradiation of natural/enriched targets using cyclotrons. The development of PET has been hampered due to the size and shielding requirements of nuclear installations. Recent results show that when an intense laser beam interacts with solid targets, megaelectronvolt (MeV) protons capable of producing PET isotopes are generated. This report describes how to generate intense PET sources of 11 C and 18 F using a petawatt laser beam. The work describing the laser production of 18 F through a (p,n) 18 O reaction, and the subsequent synthesis of 2-[ 18 F] is reported for the first time. The potential for developing compact laser technology for this purpose is discussed.

Applied Physics Letters, 2003

Proton beams of up to 10 MeV have been obtained by the interaction of a 10 Hz ''table-top'' laser, focused to intensities of 6ϫ10 19 W/cm 2 , with 6-m-thin foil targets. Such proton beams can be used to induce 11 B(p,n) 11 C reactions, which could yield an integrated activity of 13.4 MBq ͑0.36 mCi͒ after 30 min laser irradiation. This can be extended to GBq levels using similar lasers with kilohertz repetition rates, making this positron-emission tomography isotope production scheme comparable to the one using conventional accelerators.

Atti della Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti : Classe di Scienze Fisiche, Matematiche e Naturali, 2016

The development of innovative production pathways for high-Z positron emitters is of great interest to enlarge the applicability of PET diagnostics, especially in view of the continuous development of new radiopharmaceuticals. We evaluated the theoretical yields of 64 Cu , 86 Y , 89 Zr , 73 Se , 77 Br and 124 I PET isotopes, plus the 68 Ge isotope, parent of the 68 Ga positron emitter, in the hypothesis of production through laser-accelerated proton sources expected at the ELI-Beamlines facility. By means of the TALYS software we simulated the nuclear reactions leading to the above radionuclides, hypothesizing three possible scenarios of broad proton spectra, with maximum energies of about 9, 40 and 100 MeV. The production yields of the studied radionuclides, within the expected fluences, appear to be suitable for pre-clinical applications.

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 2011

We investigate the feasibility of using laser accelerated protons/deuterons for positron emission tomography (PET) isotope production by means of the nuclear reactions 11 B(p, n) 11 C and 10 B(d, n) 11 C. The second reaction has a positive Q-value and no energy threshold. One can, therefore, make use of the lower energy part of the laser-generated deuterons, which includes the majority of the accelerated deuterons. The 11 C produced from the reaction 10 B(d, n) 11 C is estimated to be 7.4 × 10 9 per laser-shot at the Titan laser at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Meanwhile a high-repetition table top laser irradiation is estimated to generate 3.5 × 10 7 11 C per shot from the same reaction. In terms of the 11 C activity, it is about 2 × 10 4 Bq per shot. If this laser delivers kHz, the activity is integrated to 1 GBq after 3 minutes. The number is sufficient for the practical application in medical imaging for PET.

PACS2001. Proceedings of the 2001 Particle Accelerator Conference (Cat. No.01CH37268), 2001

A 10 Hz, 10 TW solid state laser system has been used to produce electron beams suitable for radio-isotope production. The laser beam was focused using a 30 cm focal length f/6 offaxis parabola on a gas plume produced by a high pressure pulsed gas jet. Electrons were trapped and accelerated by high gradient wakefields excited in the ionized gas through the selfmodulated laser wakefield instability. The electron beam was measured to contain excesses of 5 nC/bunch. A composite Pb/Cu target was used to convert the electron beam into gamma rays which subsequently produced radio-isotopes through (gamma, n) reactions. Isotope identification through gamma-ray spectroscopy and half-life time measurements demonstrated that Cu^61 was produced which indicates that 20-25 MeV gamma rays were produced, and hence electrons with energies greater than 25-30 MeV. The production of high energy electrons was independently confirmed using a bending magnet spectrometer. The measured spectra had an exponential distribution with a 3 MeV width. The amount of activation was on the order of 2.5 uCi after 3 hours of operation at 1 Hz. Future experiments will aim at increasing this yield by post-accelerating the electron beam using a channel guided laser wakefield accelerator. Abstract A 10 Hz, 10 TW solid state laser system has been used to produce electron beams suitable for radio-isotope production. The laser beam was focused using a 30 cm focal length f/6 off-axis parabola on a gas plume produced by a high pressure pulsed gas jet. Electrons were trapped and accelerated by high gradient wakefields excited in the ionized gas through the self-modulated laser wakefield instability. The electron beam was measured to contain in excess of 5 nC/bunch. A composite Pb/Cu target was used to convert the electron beam into -rays which subsequently produced radio-isotopes through (, n) reactions. Isotope identification through -ray spectroscopy and half-life time measurements demonstrated that ½ Cu was produced which indicates that 20-25 MeV -rays were produced, and hence electrons with energies greater than 25-30 MeV. The production of high energy electrons was independently confirmed using a bending magnet spectrometer. The measured spectra had an exponential distribution with a 3 MeV width. The amount of activation was on the order of 2.5

2016

CERN-MEDICIS uses the scattered (ca. 90%) 1.4 GeV, 2μA protons delivered by the Proton-Synchrotron Booster (PSB) to the ISOLDE target irradiating it , and then continues on to irradiate the MEDICIS target which is positioned behind the ISOLDE target. After irradiation, the MEDICIS target is transported back to an offline isotope mass separator, where the produced isotopes are mass separated, and are then collected. The required medical radioisotopes are later chemically separated in a class A laboratory. The radioisotopes are transported to partner hospitals for processing and preparation for medical use, imaging or therapy for cancer treatment . Production of isotopes strongly depends on the design and core materials of both the ISOLDE and MEDICIS targets. The MEDICIS target unit is a configurable unit, allowing for variations in target material as well as ion source for the production of selected medical radioisotopes. The energy deposition on both targets is simulated using the M...

Applied Radiation and Isotopes, 2021

The proton induced nuclear reactions on 55 Mn were considered to investigate for the production of 52 Fe. The experimental results obtained by 55 Mn(p,4n) 52 Fe reaction were compared with the results of nuclear model calculations using the codes ALICE-IPPE, EMPIRE 3.2 and TALYS 1.9. The thick target yields (TTY) of 52 Fe were calculated from the recommended excitation functions. Analysis of impurities was also discussed. A comparison of the various radio-impurities showed that for the production of 52 Fe via 55 Mn(p,4n) 52 Fe reaction, energy ranges from 70→45 MeV could be the method of choice, which gives high yield with minimum impurities to make it as a potential candidate for theranostic applications and in particular, Positron Emission Tomography (PET).

Indian Journal of Pure & Applied Physics, 2021

The excitation functions of 70 Ge(p,n) 70 As, 72 Ge(p,n) 72 As, 74 Ge(p,n) 74 As and 76 Ge(p,n) 76 As reactions were studied from reaction threshold to 30 MeV by using EMPIRE-3.2 and TALYS-1.9 nuclear reaction model codes. This study is important because some isotopes produced are important for positron emission tomography (PET). Direct, pre-compound and compound nuclear reactions are considered as main nuclear reaction mechanisms in the codes. The calculated excitation functions have been compared with available experimental data and found to be in fair agreement. Furthermore, the contributions of various reaction mechanisms have been studied in total reaction cross-section that varies with the incident proton energy. The estimation of induced radio activity in thick Ge target due to the primary interaction is carried out for1μA, 30 MeV proton beam.

Experimental Results Evaluation and Theoretical Study for the Production of the Radio Isotope 52 Mn Using P, D and Α-Projectiles on V and Cr Targets, 2016

1 52 Mn is a very important radioisotope in medical applications. The different routes for production of this isotope, via nuclear reactions using p, d, 3 He and α, as projectile were studied in this work. Evaluation of the existing excitation functions of the different reactions as well as present TALYS 1.4 and EMPIRE 3.1 code calculations are presented. 52 Cr(p, n), 52 Cr(d,2n) and 51 V(α,n) nuclear reactions are taken into consideration. Recommended excitation functions and thick target yields for both ground and isomeric states are given.

Applied Radiation and Isotopes, 2018

• proton and deuteron beams • 43,44,47 Sc radioisotopes • radioisotope production • Thick Target Yield • generated impurities level Highlights • The prospective medical scandium radioisotopes, 43 Sc, 44g Sc, 44m Sc and 47 Sc were produced using proton and deuteron beams. • Isotopically enriched and natural targets of CaCO 3 and TiO 2 were used. • The Thick Target Yields (TTY) and generated radioactive impurities were determined for a proton energy range of 28-2 MeV. • Using a proton beam and the most enriched target isotopes the highest determined TTY were about 400, 800 and 60 MBq/µAh for 43 Sc, 44g Sc and 47 Sc,respectively.