Activation of aluminum by argon: Experimental study and simulations

The paper presents the results of irradiation of aluminum targets by 430 and 500 MeV/u argon beams. Gamma-spectra were measured after the end of the irradiation in order to identify the induced nuclides as well as to determine their residual activity depth-profiles. The results of this experiment are compared with Monte Carlo simulations by FLUKA, GEANT4, MARS, PHITS and SHIELD-A codes. In case of a thin target, the agreement between the experiment and simulations is satisfactory, while in case of a thick target, some discrepancies are observed.