LANL, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA
Several LINAC and cyclotron facilities worldwide generate high intensity beams with primary beam energies in the range 66 MeV to 200 MeV for isotope production purposes. Many of these beams are almost fully subscribed due to the high demand for isotopes produced via proton induced reactions, leaving little beam time available for production of smaller quantities of research isotopes. Modeling and preliminary experimental measurement of the high power proton beam interaction with targets at the Isotope Production Facility at Los Alamos show a high potential for parasitic small scale production of isotopes utilizing the secondary neutron flux generated around the target. This can also be exploited by modern commercial 70 MeV cyclotrons with total beam currents approaching 1 mA and more.
