Generation of radioisotopes for medical applications using high-repetition, high-intensity lasers
Katarzyna Liliana Batani, M. R. D. Rodrigues, A. Bonasera, M. Cipriani, F. Consoli, F. Filippi, M. Scisciò, L. Giuffrida, V. Kantarelou, S. Stanček, R. Lera, J. A. Pérez-Hernández, L. Volpe, E. Turcu, M. Passoni, D. Vavassori, D. Dellasega, Alessandro Maffini, M. Huault, H. Larreur, L. Sayo, T. Carrière, Ph. Nicolaï, D. Raffestin, D. Singappuli, D. Batani
Abstract
Abstract We used the PW high-repetition laser facility VEGA-3 at Centro de Láseres Pulsados in Salamanca, with the goal of studying the generation of radioisotopes using laser-driven proton beams. Various types of targets have been irradiated, including in particular several targets containing boron to generate α-particles through the hydrogen–boron fusion reaction. We have successfully identified γ-ray lines from several radioisotopes created by irradiation using laser-generated α-particles or protons including 43 Sc, 44 Sc, 48 Sc, 7 Be, 11 C and 18 F. We show that radioisotope generation can be used as a diagnostic tool to evaluate α-particle generation in laser-driven proton–boron fusion experiments. We also show the production of 11 C radioisotopes, $\approx 6 \times 10^{6}$ , and of 44 Sc radioisotopes, $\approx 5 \times 10^{4}$ per laser shot. This result can open the way to develop laser-driven radiation sources of radioisotopes for medical applications.