Production cross sections of 102mRh and 108mAg in proton bombed natPb target with 400 MeV energy

The accelerator-driven subcritical system (ADS) is a competitive option for next-generation nuclear energy systems. Production cross sections of long-lived residual radioactive nuclides in a proton-nuclide reaction are basic quantities for the calculation of accumulated radioactivity in the use of ADS systems. This work presents the production cross sections of ^102mRh and ^108mAg in a natural lead (^natPb) target activated by 400 MeV protons. The ^natPb target was irradiated by a 400 MeV proton beam in NRC “Kurchatov Institute” and measured two decades later by a low background gamma spectrometer in China Jinping Underground Laboratory (CJPL). A spectrum analysis method based on simulated single-isotope spectrum and Bayesian peak fitting was employed to compute the activities and production cross sections of the residual nuclides. The experimentally measured cross-sections for ^102mRh and ^108mAg were 0.72 ± 0.05 mb and 0.76 ± 0.09 mb respectively. These values are approximately twice as high as those predicted by the QGSP_INCLXX_HP model and fall within the range predicted by the INCL4+ABLA and LAQGSM+GEM2 models for mass numbers A=102 and A=108. These findings offer new experimental insights for ADS research and provide a practical benchmark for theoretical models concerning proton-lead interactions.