Radioactive targets, and in some cases, sources of the actinide nuclides are frequently requested for low-energy nuclear physics research and for experiments carried out using heavy-ion accelerators. At the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) Physics Division, preparation and handling of these actinide targets/sources is accomplished using a variety of techniques. For heavy element research at the ATLAS facility, stable targets are produced by physical vapor deposition (PVD) while the actinide species are deposited via the technique of molecular plating. Important aspects of this work include the availability of the isotopes of the actinide elements and the ability to assay them accurately. Here we present some recent research highlights which involved the use of a variety of actinide elements with specific examples of targets/sources beyond curium.

Actinide target/source preparation and use in the Physics Division at ANL

254th National Meeting (2017)

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