Paper detail

Activation Products from Copper and Steel Samples Exposed to Showers Produced by 8 GeV Protons Lost in the Fermilab Main Injector Collimation System

In conjunction with efforts to predict residual radiation levels in the Fermilab Main Injector, measurements of residual radiation were correlated with the time history of losses. Detailed examination suggested that the list of radioactive isotopes used for fitting was incomplete. We will report on activation studies of magnet steel and copper samples which we irradiated adjacent to the Fermilab Main Injector collimation system. Our results identified several additional radioactive isotopes of interest. The MARS15 studies using a simplified model are compared with measurements. The long half-life isotopes will grow in importance as operation stretches to a second decade and as loss rates rise. These studies allow us to predict limits on these concerns.