Study of prompt and residual activities from proton irradiation on Nb, Ta and Fe targets

Current research in the accelerator technology is focused towards achieving high energy, intense beams by minimizing conversion losses during beam acceleration. In such high current facilities, induced activity in structural materials become primary concern for radiation protection and materials like Ta and Nb, with low induced activity generation, high corrosion resistance characteristics are preferred along with conventional structural materials. In view of significant use of elements like Nb, Ta and Fe in the proton accelerators, a dose rate measurement and decay study has been carried out. The prompt γ- and neutron doses with residual activity profile from short and long lived isotopes were estimated using γ-ray spectrometric method.