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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2025
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.13634 |
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Table of Contents:
- The Brazilian Multipurpose Reactor (RMB) was conceived to meet national needs for radioisotope production, materials irradiation testing, and neutron beam applications. In addition to its 30~MW pool-type reactor, the RMB complex will include additional facilities for radioisotope production and related applications. $^{161}Tb$ is a promising radionuclide for radiopharmaceutical therapy, offering decay properties similar to $^{177}Lu$ but with additional conversion and Auger electrons that enhance dose delivery to cancer cells. In light of this emerging radioisotope, this study explores the potential production of $^{161}Tb$ in the RMB through neutron irradiation of enriched $Gd_{2}O_{3}$ targets. Monte Carlo (MCNP) simulations provided detailed neutron flux distributions, which were used as input for ORIGEN calculations of isotope buildup. Assuming 10 mg targets enriched to 97.5% in $^{160}Gd$, a 40-day irradiation, and a thermal flux of $2 \cdot 10^{14}$ $n/cm^{2}s$, the results indicate that $^{161}Tb$ activity reaches approximately 4.5 GBq after 14 days ($\approx 450 GBq/g$), in agreement with data from other research reactors. Building on prior studies that demonstrated the RMB's capability to irradiate larger targets, terabecquerel-scale yields appear feasible. These findings highlight the RMB's potential to support domestic production of emerging therapeutic radionuclides such as $^{161}Tb$. The potential for isotopic enrichment of $^{160}Gd$ using the AVLIS method is also discussed.