Theoretical evaluation of a novel method for producing fluorine-18 for Positron-emission-tomography (PET) applications utilizing the 3He(d,p)4He reaction

A novel method of producing fluorine-18 for Positron emission tomography (PET) scan applications is evaluated theoretically. The method is based upon the 3He(d,p)4He nuclear reaction from which the protons produced are used to produce fluorine-18 via the 18O(p,n)18F reaction. The potential advantage of such a system over cyclotron-based production is of lower input beam energy, which may lower the cost of the system and potentially allow for...