Measurement of Sc and Sc production cross-section with an 18MeV medical PET cyclotron.

Sc and Sc are positron emitter radionuclides that, in conjunction with the β emitter Sc, represent one of the most promising possibilities for theranostics in nuclear medicine. Their availability in suitable quantity and quality for medical applications is an open issue and their production with medical cyclotrons represents a scientific and technological challenge. For this purpose, an accurate knowledge of the production cross sections is mandatory. In this paper, we report on the cross section measurement of the reactions Ca(p,n)Sc, Ca(p,2n) Sc, Ti(p,α)Sc, and Ca(p,n)Sc at the Bern University Hospital cyclotron. A study of the production yield and purity performed by using commercially available enriched target materials is also presented.