Photoactivation at a clinical LINAC:: The 197Au(γ,n)196Au reaction slightly above threshold

The properties of a clinical LINAC are investigated for a study of photoactivation cross-sections slightly above the neutron threshold. As an example, the photoactivation of a tiny amount of gold by the Au-197(gamma, n)(196) Au reaction has been measured. The derived photon intensity is at least comparable to conventional and widely used photon sources. In combination with its extremely stable operation, a clinical LINAC ensures that photoactivation studies can be performed for a wide number of targets with very limited beamtime. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.