Demonstration of inkjet-printed targets for activation cross-section measurements: deuteron-induced reactions on strontium up to 24 MeV

Abstract

Excitation functions for the $^{nat}$Sr($d,x$) reactions producing $^{86m,g}$Y, $^{87m,g}$Y, and $^{88}$Y were measured up to 24-MeV deuteron energy using the stacked-foil technique and gamma-ray spectrometry. The $^{nat}$Sr targets were prepared using an inkjet printing method to ensure sufficient uniformity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first experimental report of excitation functions measured using inkjet-printed targets, demonstrating the applicability of this technique to cross-section measurements. The measured cross sections were discussed in comparison with literature data and TENDL-2023 predictions. Our cross sections were generally consistent with those reported in the previous study, but were slightly higher in the threshold energy region. The TENDL-2023 library generally overestimates the experimental values. We report the experimental cross sections for the $^{nat}$Sr($d,x$)$^{86m}$Y reaction for the first time. These measured cross sections contribute to the refinement of nuclear reaction databases for practical applications.