Experimental measurements and theoretical calculations of excitation functions of 103Rh(α,xn)106m,105g,104gAg and 103Rh(α,αxn)101m,102gRh reactions up to 40 MeV

Abstract

Activation cross sections of ¹⁰³Rh(α,xn)^{106m,105g,104g}Ag and ¹⁰³Rh(α,αxn)^101m,102gRh radionuclides were measured at energies ranging from their respective threshold energies up to 40 MeV. Standard stacked foil activation technique was employed for irradiation. Residual activity was assayed using high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometry. Excitation functions were also theoretically calculated using TALYS nuclear reaction model to reproduce the experimental cross section data. The present data are compared with the available literature data, TENDL-2023 data using default values as well as the theoretical data calculated by TALYS-1.96. The shape and amplitude of the experimentally obtained excitation functions were well reproduced theoretically for all the studied radionuclides except for ^105gAg, for which magnitude of the cross sections was not reproduced. The integral yields were also deduced using the measured cross sections and the stopping power of natural Rh from 40 MeV down to their threshold energies for these radionuclides, and compared with the experimental yield data available in the literature.