Measured activation
Spatial activation was characterized with In, Au, W, Al, Zr, Sc and Cu monitors and with natural or enriched Mo, Lu, Re and Ho targets.
Experimental programme · 2013–2015 · Scientific synthesis 2026
Experimental investigation of a compact ARC-based lead–graphite neutron activator for medical radionuclide production
The FESTA experiment tested whether adiabatic resonance crossing could be transferred from a large high-energy configuration to a compact activator driven by a medium-energy cyclotron.
The scientific article is being prepared for publication.
The experiment
A compact neutron activator for medical radionuclides
FESTA—the Feasibility Study of the Activator—investigated an accelerator-driven neutron activator based on the adiabatic resonance crossing (ARC) principle. Its primary technological motivation was the production of 99Mo, the parent radionuclide of 99mTc, through neutron capture on 98Mo.
A thick beryllium target converted proton or deuteron beams from the MEDICYC cyclotron into a broad secondary-neutron source. The lead–graphite activator slowed, transported and retained these neutrons, increasing their opportunity to cross resonance-energy regions relevant to neutron capture.
01Cyclotron beamProtons or deuterons
02Beryllium targetSecondary-neutron source
03ARC activatorLead slowing-down and reflection
04ActivationMo, Lu, Re and Ho targets
August 2013 — July 2015
From engineering design to the final report
FESTA was financed by IBEL SA and coordinated by José A. Gálvez on behalf of IBEL. Experimental work was conducted at the Centre Antoine Lacassagne (CAL) in Nice within the institutional and technical framework established with AIMA Développement SA.
Programme launch
Definition of the feasibility study, technical interfaces and experimental objectives for the compact activator.
Design and construction
Engineering of the activator, the thick beryllium target and its cooling assembly; magnetic-field, beam-transport and Monte Carlo studies.
Assembly and irradiation campaign
The activator was assembled and tested at MEDICYC. Spatial activation was measured with monitor foils and medical-radionuclide targets.
Final technical report
The 266-page report consolidated the experimental programme, gamma-spectrometry measurements, FLUKA and PHITS calculations, discussion and annexes.
Scientific reconstruction
The original record was condensed and critically reconstructed as a journal article, preserving the scope and limitations of the 2015 evidence.
What FESTA established
Experimental evidence and its limits
Monte Carlo comparison
Proton cases showed experiment-to-calculation ratios from 0.45 to 3.20. For deuterons, PHITS reproduced the activity scale better than the reported FLUKA calculations.
Medical radionuclides
The programme experimentally demonstrated production of 99Mo, 177Lu, 188Re and 166Ho.
Scope statement
FESTA did not demonstrate production-scale operation, radiochemical separation, pharmaceutical-quality production or clinical dose delivery. The measurements support a broad resonance-relevant neutron field, but do not independently establish its detailed energy spectrum.
Project provenance
Institutions recorded in the programme
IBEL SAFinancing, activator concept, engineering, construction and coordination
Centre Antoine LacassagneHost laboratory, MEDICYC operation and experimental support
AIMA Développement SAMEDICYC expertise, beam-line context and technical interface
Sungkyunkwan UniversityParticipating institution in the international collaboration
Institutional participation is distinct from authorship of the 2026 scientific article.
Open project record
Report, patent and scientific article
Original report · PDF · 266 pages
Feasibility Study of the Activator (FESTA): Final Report and Annexes
Prepared by José A. Gálvez under the contract between IBEL SA and Dr Gálvez. Geneva, July 2015.
Open original reportFESTA-related intellectual property
Patent associated with the FESTA activator
Patent by José A. Gálvez Altamirano covering technological developments associated with the FESTA activator.
Open patent WO2016037656A1Scientific article · 2026
Experimental investigation of a compact ARC-based lead–graphite neutron activator
A condensed scientific reconstruction of the FESTA record, including experimental results, calculations, interpretation and limitations.
Open article