Photoactivation at a clinical LINAC: The 197Au(gamma,n)196Au 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 197Au(gamma,n)196Au 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.