Excitation function for natMo(p,x) reactions with covariance analysis
The excitation functions of proton induced reactions on natMo targets are measured using the activation technique followed by off-line {\gamma}-ray spectroscopy with improved precision. The experiment was performed at the BARC-TIFR Pelletron Linac Facility, Mumbai. Thin samples of natMo were irradiated with a proton beam of energies ranging from 13 to 22 MeV for measurements of various (p,x) cross sections, with an emphasis on the production of medical isotopes. The present data for 93mTc and 94gTc address and resolve the discrepancies in the existing data. The 93gTc radioisotope production is extracted with appropriate corrections for 93mTc contribution. While the measured cross sections for the production of 95gTc, 96g+mTc, 99mTc and 99Mo are consistent with the reported data, significant differences are observed for 89g+mZr. A comprehensive uncertainty analysis, including the correlation coefficients of the measured reaction cross sections is also presented.