Half-life measurement of 44Sc and 44mSc. (December 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Durán, M. Teresa; Juget, Frédéric; Nedjadi, Youcef; Bailat, Claude; Grundler, Pascal V.; Talip, Zeynep; van der Meulen, Nicholas P.; Casolaro, Pierluigi; Dellepiane, Gaia; Braccini, Saverio
• Is Part Of: Applied radiation and isotopes. Volume 190(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-12
• Subjects: 44Sc -- 44mSc -- Half-life -- Ionization chamber -- Gamma-spectrometry -- Nuclear data; Radiology -- Periodicals; Radiation -- Industrial applications -- Periodicals; Nuclear chemistry -- Periodicals; Internet resource; Periodical; 660.298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2022.110507
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0969-8043

Abstract

Abstract: The half-lives of 44 Sc and 44m Sc were measured by following their decay rate using several measurement systems: two ionization chambers and three γ-spectrometry detectors with digital and/or analogue electronics. For 44 Sc, the result was the combination of seven half-life values giving a result of 4.042(7) h, which agrees with the last reported value of 4.042(3) h and confirms the near to 2% deviation from the recommended half-life of 3.97(4) h. Scandium-44 is present as an impurity in the production of 44 Sc by cyclotron proton irradiation. Its half-life was determined by measurements performed a few days after End of Bomardment (EoB), so that the 44 Sc decayed down to a negligible level. Seven measurements were combined to obtain an average of 58.7(3) h, which is in agreement with the recommended value of 58.6(1) h. Highlights: The half-life obtained for 44 Sc is 4.042 (7) hours. The half-life obtained for 44m Sc is 58.7 (3) days. The results are the mean value of seven measurements. Stability, statistical robustness and detailed uncertainty budget lead to improved results.