FIG. 7. Probability of proton production from neutrons incident on manganese at different thicknesses.
FIG. 8. Average proton energy generated from neutron beams interacting with iron at several thicknesses.
FIG. 9. Probability of proton production from neutrons incident on iron at different thicknesses.
FIG. 10. Actinium-225 generator according to some embodiments of the disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Embodiments of the disclosure provide an Actinium-225 generator, comprising a neutron source; a neutron target arranged to receive neutrons emitted from the neutron source, wherein the neutron target comprises nickel, manganese, or iron; and a proton target arranged to receive protons emitted from the neutron target, wherein the proton target comprises radium-226.
As shown in FIG. 10, in some embodiments, the neutron target and the proton target are concentric cylinders surrounding the neutron source. In particular, the generator may comprise three concentric cylinders. The innermost is made from a neutron source such as Californium-252 (Cf-252), the middle cylinder is made from nickel, manganese, or iron, and the outer cylinder is made from radium-226 (e.g. RaCl2). The cylinders may be formed from a thin sheet or foil. In some embodiments, the cylinder comprises a volume in which a solution containing the target material (e.g. radium) is disposed.
