Design of gas targets for the production of medically used radionuclides with the help of monte-carlo simulation of small angle multiple scattering of charged particles

Due to scattering of protons or deuterons in the target gas the radius of beams increases with increasing penetration depth of the particles. The increase depends on the kind of beam particle, the energy, the target gas and its temperature and pressure. A Monte-Carlo program was developed for simulation of multiple scattering. The initial beam has a particle distribution of variable sinusoidal shape behind the entrance window and may be cut off by the simulation of a collimator. The beam distribution is calculated for up to 14 planes representing energy values of the particles due to a predefined range from one plane to the next. The energy loss is calculated with the help of an integrated Bethe-Bloch routine. The distribution of the particles within the plane may be rearranged into profiles and transferred to a spreadsheet for further manipulation and graphical printout. Simulations are carried out for radionuclide production routes, commonly used for positron emission tomography (PET).