Dual proton - helium accelerator for radioisotope production

A design of a compact accelerator has been made for the production of radioisotopes, in particular ^99mTc and ²¹¹At. As well as fixed magnetic fields, this machine is isochronous up to 28 MeV and able to operate in continuous wave (CW) mode for both protons and He²⁺. Detailed tracking studies with the OPAL (Object Oriented Parallel Accelerator Library) code, including the effects of space charge, have demonstrated the ability to accelerate a proton beam with a current of up to 20mA, significantly larger than achievable with any current cyclotrons. The accelerator is able to deliver beams of both protons and He²⁺ particles through careful optimisation of the field, which would allow production of a wider range of isotopes including ²¹¹At which is of interest for therapy. As well conventional target configurations the use of a thin internal target and recycled beam is being considered. The large acceptance of the accelerator allows the beam to be recirculated many times despite scattering through the target, the lost energy being restored on each cycle. In this way, the production of ^99mTc for example, can take place at the optimum energy increasing yields and purity.