A potential photo-transmutation of fission products triggered by Compton backscattering photons

We investigated the transmutation of some fission product nuclides I129, Cs135, Sn126, Zr93, Pd107, Cs137 and Sr90, induced by the Compton backscattering (CBS) photons generated from the future Shanghai Laser Electron Gamma Source (SLEGS) facility. The evaluated photo-transmutation rates for I129, Cs135, Sn126, Zr93, Pd107, Cs137 and Sr90 can achieve 2.5×1065×106, 1.3×1061.3×106, 4.8×1064.8×106, 2.7×1062.7×106, 9.4×1069.4×106, 1.3×1061.3×106 and1.6×1061.6×106 per second, respectively, improving 4–54–5 orders of magnitude compared with those via the bremsstrahlung photons by a 1020W/cm2 laser. The maximum transmutation coupling efficiencies of the CBS photons were estimated to be 1.36% for I129, 1.70% for Cs135, 2.02% for Sn126, 1.03% for Zr90, 1.52% for Pd107, 1.62% for Cs137 and 1.72% for Sr90, which are 2–6 times as those via the bremsstrahlung method by the 1020W/cm2 laser. Moreover, we presented a possible experimental method for the future SLEGS facility to check the estimated results.