Study of thick-target x-ray spectra using photonuclear reactions. Doctoral thesis

Technical Report · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1983

OSTI ID:5355124

Prado, K L

Megavoltage bremsstrahlung spectra which are produced in thick targets were investigated using photonuclear reactions. Ratios of photonuclear yields in teflon and in K2SiF6 were obtained that serve as sensitive indexes of thick target x-ray quality and endpoint energy in the energy range from about 14 to 30 MeV. Because thick target bremsstrahlung spectra have never before been used in the determination of photonuclear reaction cross sections, a numerical analysis computer calculation of thick target bremsstrahlung spectra was written to approximate the spectra of x-rays produced in thick targets of clinical electron linear accelerators and examine the feasibility of using such spectra for cross section determinations. The spectra obtained by computer simulation were used to calculate the photonuclear cross section of the 27 A1(gamma, 2p)Superscript 25Na reaction from 25 to 33 MeV. The calculated cross section is reported and is compared to a previously reported cross section and to a cross section calculated using thin target bremsstrahlung spectra. Analyses of the results obtained indicate that thick target x-ray spectra can be used for photonuclear reaction cross section determination.

• Research Organization: Air Force Inst. of Tech., Wright-Patterson AFB, OH (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5355124
• Report Number(s): AD-A-132543/0
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS
430303* -- Particle Accelerators-- Experimental Facilities & Equipment
651100 -- Nuclear Physics-- Experimental Techniques-- (1980-)
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
ACCELERATORS
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
ALKALI METALS
BREMSSTRAHLUNG
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
CROSS SECTIONS
DIMENSIONS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTS
ENERGY
EQUIPMENT
FLUORIDES
FLUORINATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HALOGENATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
LINEAR ACCELERATORS
MATERIALS
MATHEMATICS
METALS
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
NUMERICAL ANALYSIS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC POLYMERS
PETROCHEMICALS
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
PHOTONUCLEAR REACTIONS
PLASTICS
POLYETHYLENES
POLYMERS
POLYOLEFINS
POLYTETRAFLUOROETHYLENE
POTASSIUM COMPOUNDS
POTASSIUM FLUORIDES
RADIATION SOURCES
RADIATIONS
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SILICON FLUORIDES
SIMULATION
SODIUM
SPECTRA
SYNTHETIC MATERIALS
TARGETS
TEFLON
THICKNESS
X-RAY EQUIPMENT
X-RAY SOURCES
X-RAY SPECTRA