Manganese-52 production cross-section measurements via irradiation of natural chromium targets up to 20 MeV

Abstract Manganese-52g, 54 and Chromium-51 production cross-section measurements were conducted using natural chromium foils and copper monitor foils. Proton beam energies between 10 and 20 MeV were used for target bombardment. After bombardment, the irradiated foils were allowed to decay for at least 48 h and radioactivity was quantified using a high-purity germanium detector. The maximum 52g Mn cross-section was 90.8 ± 16.0 mb at 14.3 ± 0.8 MeV. These data contribute to the existing nuclear data for cyclotron production of 52g Mn at low to medium proton energies.