Half-life measurement of 44Sc and 44mSc

• Published in: Applied radiation and isotopes 2022-12, Vol.190, p.110507-110507, Article 110507
• Main 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
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 44mSc; 44Sc; Gamma-spectrometry; Half-life; Ionization chamber; Nuclear data
• ISSN: 0969-8043; 1872-9800
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2022.110507

The half-lives of 44Sc and 44mSc 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 44Sc, 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 44Sc by cyclotron proton irradiation. Its half-life was determined by measurements performed a few days after End of Bomardment (EoB), so that the 44Sc 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. •The half-life obtained for 44Sc is 4.042 (7) hours.•The half-life obtained for 44mSc is 58.7 (3) hours.•The results are the mean value of seven measurements.•Stability, statistical robustness and detailed uncertainty budget lead to improved results.