Cross section measurements using gas and solid targets for production of the positron-emitting radionuclide O-14

Abstract

Abstract Irradiation of nitrogen with protons leads to 11C (T 1/2=20.4min) via the well-known 14N(p,α) reaction. However, 14O (T 1/2=70.6s) and 13N (T 1/2=10min) are also formed as side products via the 14N(p,n) and 14N(p,d+pn) reactions, respectively. In this work detailed cross section measurements were carried out for those two side reactions up to 19.2MeV using N2 gas and nitrogen-containing solid targets. From the data, the thick-target yields and the exact level of radioactive impurities in 11C were calculated. In the case of 14O, the results also confirmed the possibility of producing this β + emitting radionuclide in sufficient quantities for PET investigations.