Production of 13N by 12C(d,n)13N reaction in a medium energy plasma focus

This paper explores the production of 13N by bombardment of a carbon target by high energy deuterons in a medium energy plasma focus. A set of experiments in the energy range of 2.7–3.1 kJ and initial pressure of 200–700 Pa, with three or five shots in each experiment, was performed. A HPGe detector was used for gamma spectroscopy, and 511 keV photons emitted by positron annihilation were utilized to measure the 13N radioactivity. The highest activity of 13N in these experiments was 14 Bq which was acquired after five shots at a pressure of 450 Pa and a 3.1 kJ stored energy. Calculations based on thick target yield showed that at least 1.9×109 deuterons with energies higher than 330 keV were ejected from the pinch region.

► We studied performance of a 3 kJ plasma focus device on 13N radioisotope production.
► Ablation of copper anode decreases radioisotope production yield in successive shots.
► We utilized a high resolution HPGE gamma spectroscopy system for measurement of radioisotope production yield.