Monte Carlo simulation of induced radioactivity for low-energy proton beam

Induced radionuclides in probe bombarded with proton beam will turn the detector into a typical external irradiation radiation source. It is beneficial for developing radiation protection to calculate the kinds and the activity of induced radionuclides. Here, the induced radioactivity for three types of probe materials (Cu, Ta and W) irradiated by low-energy (below 20 MeV) proton beam are separately simulated the FLUKA Monte-Carlo program. The results show that the energy threshold of induced radioactivity in the copper probe is the lowest (about 4-5 MeV) compared with those in the tungsten and tantalum probes (about 10 MeV). In addition, the total induced radioactivity of the copper probe is always higher than the other two under the same irradiation time with decay time up to 1 hour. (authors)