Transition energy and half-life determinations of photonuclear reaction products of erbium nuclei

Abstract

Photon induced reactions are called as photonuclear reactions and used in many research fields of nuclear science and nuclear physics. The photonuclear data are used in many nuclear applications such as radiation shielding and protection, radiation transport analyses, reactor core design, activation analysis and nuclear waste transmutation. In the past, many studies had been devoted to extract photonuclear data covering the isotopic chart. However, there is still lack of existing data. In the present study, we have performed photonuclear reactions on erbium (Er) target by using clinical electron linear accelerators (cLINAC). By using measured residual activity of photonuclear reaction products of Er nuclei, we have determined the half-life of Er-161 nucleus and transition energies of Ho-161 nucleus. Also, new measurements on gamma-ray energies of the products have been determined accurately. Furthermore, this study shows that repurposed cLINAC with limited budget can contribute to the global nuclear science knowledge.