An experimental investigation of radioactivity induced by ions associated with the operation of pulsed power accelerators

Summary form only given. Energetic light ion beams are being studied in the Particle Beam Fusion Accelerator II (PBFA II) for the purpose of investigating the physics of applied B-diodes with the hope that these beams can be applied to inertial confinement fusion. A series of experiments was conducted wherein samples of metals typically used in the diode/gas cell region of PBFA II were exposed to ion beams at energies expected to be achieved in PBFA II. The metals studied were aluminum alloys 2024 and 6061, brass, copper, Inconel alloys 625 and 718, stainless steel 304, tantalum, titanium, and tungsten. The induced activity of each sample was measured as a function of time within an ion chamber and was used to estimate the rate at which the initial short-lived activity of the sample decayed. In addition, gamma-ray spectra of the activated samples were collected using a germanium detector, and these spectra were analyzed qualitatively to identify the long-lived radioisotopes present in the sample.