Photo-excitation production of medically interesting isomers using high-intensity γ-ray source

Abstract

Photon-induced nuclear excitation (i.e. photo-excitation) can be used for production of nuclear isomers, which have potential applications in astrophysics, energy storing, and medical diagnosis and treatment. This paper presents a feasibility study on production of four nuclear isomers ({99m}^Tc, {103m}^Rh and {113m, 115m}^In) using high-intensity γ-ray source based on laser-electron Compton scattering (LCS), for use in the medical diagnosis and treatment. The decay properties and the medical applications of these nuclear isomers were reviewed. The cross-section curves, simulated yields and activity of product of each photo-excitation process were calculated. The cutoff energy of LCS γ-ray beam is optimized by adjusting the electron energy in order to maximize the yields as well as the activities of photo-excitation products. It is found that the achievable activity of above-mentioned isomers can exceed 10 mCi for 6-hour target irradiation at an intensity of the order of 10^{13} γ/s. Such magnitude of activity satisfies the dose requirement of medical diagnosis. Our simulation results suggest the prospect of producing medically interesting isomers with photo-excitation using the state-of-art LCS γ-ray beam facility.