Quantitative assessment of 167Tm isotope production: experimental data analysis and model validation

167Tm is an effective radioisotope for use in theragnostic purposes. This study aims to find the best alternative routes for producing 167Tm for appropriate cancer therapy and diagnostics. In this study, we comprehensively analyzed production cross-sections of 167Tm and investigated the behavior of these reactions using six different level density models and refined optical model potential (OMP) parameters with the nuclear reaction code TALYS 1.96. Using this code, we estimated the specific activity and production yield for promising production routes. For characterizing the 167Tm isotopes, the energy distribution of 167Tm was also analyzed for each prominent reaction by particle and heavy ion transport code system (PHITS). The maximum specific activity was estimated as 52.6-75.2 GBq/g with a production yield of 20.2-32.7 GBq/mAh for the route 169Tm(p,x)167Tm. The experimental value was reproduced with good agreement by TALYS adjusting different OMP parameters. 169Tm(p,x)167Tm is the alternative route for producing 167Tm, for which TALYS can reproduce the result more accurately.167Tm is an effective radioisotope for use in theragnostic purposes. This study aims to find the best alternative routes for producing 167Tm for appropriate cancer therapy and diagnostics. In this study, we comprehensively analyzed production cross-sections of 167Tm and investigated the behavior of these reactions using six different level density models and refined optical model potential (OMP) parameters with the nuclear reaction code TALYS 1.96. Using this code, we estimated the specific activity and production yield for promising production routes. For characterizing the 167Tm isotopes, the energy distribution of 167Tm was also analyzed for each prominent reaction by particle and heavy ion transport code system (PHITS). The maximum specific activity was estimated as 52.6-75.2 GBq/g with a production yield of 20.2-32.7 GBq/mAh for the route 169Tm(p,x)167Tm. The experimental value was reproduced with good agreement by TALYS adjusting different OMP parameters. 169Tm(p,x)167Tm is the alternative route for producing 167Tm, for which TALYS can reproduce the result more accurately.