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Title: Radio-isotope production using laser Wakefield accelerators

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 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{sup 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.

Authors:
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Lab., CA (US)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Director, Office of Science. Office of High Energy and Nuclear Physics. Division of High Energy Physics (US)
OSTI Identifier:
793799
Report Number(s):
LBNL-49862; CBP Note-418
R&D Project: 455401; TRN: US0201055
DOE Contract Number:  
AC03-76SF00098
Resource Type:
Conference
Resource Relation:
Conference: 2001 Particle Accelerator Conference, Chicago, IL (US), 06/18/2001--06/22/2001; Other Information: PBD: 27 Jul 2001
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS; ACCELERATORS; ELECTRON BEAMS; LASERS; PRODUCTION; SOLID STATE LASERS; TIME MEASUREMENT; WAKEFIELD ACCELERATORS; LASER WAKEFIELD ELECTRON BEAM

Citation Formats

Leemans, W P, Rodgers, D, Catravas, P E, Geddes, C G.R., Fubiani, G, Toth, C, Esarey, E, Shadwick, B A, Donahue, R, Smith, A, and Reitsma, A. Radio-isotope production using laser Wakefield accelerators. United States: N. p., 2001. Web.
Leemans, W P, Rodgers, D, Catravas, P E, Geddes, C G.R., Fubiani, G, Toth, C, Esarey, E, Shadwick, B A, Donahue, R, Smith, A, & Reitsma, A. Radio-isotope production using laser Wakefield accelerators. United States.
Leemans, W P, Rodgers, D, Catravas, P E, Geddes, C G.R., Fubiani, G, Toth, C, Esarey, E, Shadwick, B A, Donahue, R, Smith, A, and Reitsma, A. 2001. "Radio-isotope production using laser Wakefield accelerators". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/793799.
@article{osti_793799,
title = {Radio-isotope production using laser Wakefield accelerators},
author = {Leemans, W P and Rodgers, D and Catravas, P E and Geddes, C G.R. and Fubiani, G and Toth, C and Esarey, E and Shadwick, B A and Donahue, R and Smith, A and Reitsma, A},
abstractNote = {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 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{sup 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.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/793799}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Jul 27 00:00:00 EDT 2001},
month = {Fri Jul 27 00:00:00 EDT 2001}
}

Conference:
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