Analysis of excitation functions for alpha particle-induced reactions on stable copper and antimony isotopes up to 80 MeV energy region

This study applies the COMPLET nuclear reaction code to calculate excitation functions for eleven alpha-induced reactions on stable copper (63Cu, 65Cu) and antimony (121Sb, 123Sb) isotopes, aiming to predict production cross-sections for medically significant radionuclides such as 68Ga, 67Ga, 66Ga, 65Zn, 124I, and 123I. Reactions are simulated across an alpha energy range of 10–80 MeV to evaluate excitation functions. Fixed nuclear model parameters, such as an initial exciton number n₀ = 4 (2p+2n+0h) and level density parameters ACN/K (K = 10) expressions tied to compound nucleus mass, were used to compute theoretical cross-sections. Model outputs were systematically compared with experimental data obtained from the EXFOR database. Statistical and graphical analyses demonstrated an excellent agreement, with Pearson correlation coefficients ranging from 0.74 to 0.94. Sensitivity analyses confirmed that variations in exciton numbers and level density parameters significantly influenced the shape and peak positions of the excitation functions, highlighting the importance of accurate parameter selection. These findings validate the COMPLET code as a reliable tool for modeling alpha-induced nuclear reactions, especially when experimental data are scarce. The results contribute to improved nuclear data evaluations and provide critical support for the planning of radionuclide production in medical applications. The study also includes a detailed covariance analysis to minimize discrepancies between model predictions and experimental data, emphasizing the importance of theoretical methods in contemporary nuclear research.