Using a clinical linac to determine the energies of gamma-ray transitions and half-lives of barium nuclei

Photonuclear reactions have great importance in understanding the structure of the nuclei. These reactions, performed using the gamma rays obtained by way of bremsstrahlung, are a standard nuclear physics experiment. In this study, a non-enriched barium sample was activated for the first time by using a clinical linear accelerator (cLINACs). The spectrum of barium radioisotopes was obtained by using a gamma spectrometry with a high purity germanium (HPGe) detector. The obtained spectroscopic data were analyzed and energy levels and half-life values together with their uncertainties were obtained. Some energy levels and half-lives of 129Ba were determined with more precision than those of literature values.