Potential Uses of ERL-Based $\gamma$ -Ray Sources

We expand upon the idea of using gamma-rays for nuclear photoflssion of ²³⁸U at the giant dipole resonance to generate rare neutron-reach nuclei. The SPIRAL II project proposes the employment of 10-20-MeV Bremsstrahlung gamma-rays generated by a 45-MeV electron beam /http://ganinfo.in2p3.fr/research/ developments/ spiral2/ index.html/. In this paper, we explore the possibility of using a Compton gamma-ray source for such a process. The Collider Accelerator Department at Brookhaven National Laboratory is developing high-current (up to 1 A), high-brightness (down to 1-mm ldr mrad normalized emittance), and high-energy energy-recovery linacs (up to 20-GeV electron beam energy for eRHIC). These electron beams are perfectly suited for generating photon beams with tremendous average power, approaching the megawatt level. The range of photon´s energy extends from subelectronvolts from free-electron lasers to 10 GeV from the Compton process. In this paper, we focus on a gamma-ray source for producing rare isotopes.