Photoactivation at a clinical LINAC: The reaction slightly above threshold

The properties of a clinical LINAC are investigated for a study of photoactivation cross-sections slightly above the neutron threshold. As an example, the photoactivation of a tiny amount of gold by the Au ( γ , n ) 196 197 Au reaction has been measured. The derived photon intensity is at least comparable to conventional and widely used photon sources. In combination with its extremely stable operation, a clinical LINAC ensures that photoactivation studies can be performed for a wide number of targets with very limited beamtime.