Estimation of polonium radionuclides in proton irradiated lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) targets by LSC-TDCR technique and gamma spectrometry

Abstract

An accurate knowledge on the production of radiotoxic polonium from proton irradiated lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) targets is essential for the use of LBE in accelerator driven systems or in next generation RIB facilities. In this paper, six LBE targets were irradiated at different proton energies from 8.95 to 21.95MeV. For the first time quantification of $ \alpha$ emitting 208, 210Po has been carried out in a proton irradiated lead-bismuth target, without radiochemical separation of Po radionuclides. The liquid scintillation counting along with triple to double coincidence ratio technique (LSC-TDCR) was used for the quantification of 208, 210Po . The $ \gamma$-emitting 207Po was quantified by $ \gamma$-ray spectrometry.