Excitation functions and thick target yields of the $$^{\mathrm {nat}}\hbox {Zr}(\hbox {p},\hbox {x})^{{95}}\hbox {Zr}$$, $$^{95\mathrm {m}}\hbox {Nb}$$, $$^{95\mathrm {g}}\hbox {Nb}$$ reactions

We measured the excitation functions for the production of the radionuclides $$^{{95}}\hbox {Zr}$$ , $$^{95\mathrm {m}}\hbox {Nb}$$ and $$^{95\mathrm {g}}\hbox {Nb}$$ from the $$^{\mathrm {nat}}\hbox {Zr}(\hbox {p},\hbox {x})$$ reactions in the proton energy range of 10.6–43.6 MeV. The experiment was performed by irradiation of zirconium and copper foils simultaneously using 45 MeV proton beam from the MC-50 Cyclotron at the Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, Korea, and the induced activity was measured with an HPGe $$\upgamma $$ -ray detector. Proton energies along the foil stack were calculated using the computer code SRIM-2013. The proton beam flux entered each foil was determined via the $$^{\mathrm {nat}}\hbox {Cu}(\hbox {p},\hbox {x})^{{62}}\hbox {Zn}$$ and $$^{\mathrm {nat}}\hbox {Cu}(\hbox {p},\hbox {x})^{{65}}\hbox {Zn}$$ monitoring reactions. The cumulative cross sections of the $$^{\mathrm {nat}}\hbox {Zr}(\hbox {p},\hbox {x})^{{95}}\hbox {Zr}$$ reaction were measured because it was unable to separate the activity from the decay of $$^{{95}}\hbox {Y}$$ to $$^{{95}}\hbox {Zr}$$ . However, independent cross sections of the $$^{\mathrm {nat}}\hbox {Zr}(\hbox {p},\hbox {x})^{95\mathrm {m}}\hbox {Nb}$$ and $$^{\mathrm {nat}}\hbox {Zr}(\hbox {p},\hbox {x})^{95\mathrm {g}}\hbox {Nb}$$ reactions were determined, since the independent activities of $$^{95\mathrm {m}}\hbox {Nb}$$ and $$^{95\mathrm {g}}\hbox {Nb}$$ can also be measured. In addition, the thick target yields of the $$^{{95}}\hbox {Zr}$$ , $$^{95\mathrm {m}}\hbox {Nb}$$ and $$^{95\mathrm {g}}\hbox {Nb}$$ isotopes were also determined. The current results are compared with the previously measured data as well as with the theoretical values from the TALYS-1.9 code and the TENDL-2019 data library.