Experimental cross-section measurement of the nuclear reactions induced by protons on 159Tb: Evaluation of the 155Dy/155Tb precursor system

149,152,155,161Tb have recently been under the lens of research in nuclear medicine due to their physical characteristics, which allow them to be used in various applications in both diagnosis and therapy. Performing the optimization of the production methods of these terbium radioisotopes is of great research interest. In this work, the viability of the production of 155Tb (T1/2=5.32 d) via the 155Dy/155Tb precursor system was studied and discussed from a theoretical point of view. The production of 155Dy, alongside its contaminants, was accomplished through the 159Tb(p,x) nuclear reactions. The cross-sections of these reactions were studied in the 37.5–62 MeV energy range using the stacked-foils technique. The study of the yield of the indirectly produced 155Tb give promising estimations for an implementation of the 155Dy/155Tb precursor system.