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Reference | Factsheet | Chemical and Fuel Cycle Technologies

Radioisotope Research and Production Program

Partial image of front side of radioisotope program fact sheet

Argonne National Laboratory's Low-Energy Accelerator Facility (LEAF) provides a unique method for cost-effective, high-yield production of radioisotopes used for medical, national security, basic science, and industrial applications. This method, based on photonuclear reactions, also results in high-specific activities needed for certain clinical applications that are not always achievable through research reactors or proton accelerators. The Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System (ATLAS) facility is a DOE National User Facility capable of producing a wide variety of light and heavy ions that are useful for R&D of emerging isotopes using low-energy, ion-induced reactions. Ions available through ATLAS include protons, helium-3, helium-4, lithium-6, lithium-7, beryllium-9, as well as heavier options.