Influence of level density models on proton and deuteron-induced reactions using zinc target for the production of 66-68Ga medical radioisotopes

Abstract

Due to their medical importance in imaging and therapy, this paper examines proton- and deuteron-induced reactions on zinc targets from a theoretical perspective. Medically important ⁶⁶Ga, ⁶⁷Ga, and ⁶⁸Ga were simulated using TALYS 2.0 and different level density models. The relative variance technique was used to assess model agreement with experimental data given in EXFOR library. Key production parameters, including radionuclidic impurities, optimal energy range, theoretical yield, and target thickness, were derived from the selected theoretical model, which was chosen based on its agreement with experimental trends. Results confirmed the models’ predictive accuracy across a wide energy range in estimating the nuclear reaction cross-sections for ^66,67,68Ga production. For a number of studied reactions, the TGHFB model specifically agreed very well with the experimental data. Zinc targets proved effective and feasible for producing ^66,67,68Ga at low proton and deuteron energies, as typically available in medical cyclotrons.