Analysis of radionuclide production in cyclotrons for application in positron emission tomography (PET)

[EN] The present work focuses on the analysis of nuclear reactions that can occur in a cyclotron for the generation of radionuclides compliant with the restrictions necessary for medical use in a PET. These radionuclides ought to meet some features, such as being positron emitters and having a half-life as short as possible, considering the times of processing and administration of the radiopharmaceutical. The radionuclides studied, 61Cu, 64Cu and 68Ga, meet these conditions. A commercial cyclotron has been modelled with an energy of 18 MeV for protons. Several simulations have been carried out with the model, using different materials as a target. The model validation has been done comparing results with experimental data from the literature.