Many of these applications use naturally occurring radioisotopes. However, some such as positron emission tomography (PET) scans require isotopes that need to be produced artificially (e.g. 11C and 18F isotopes) and potentially, others where there are shortages such as 99mTc.
It is notable that there is a considerable global shortage of such radioisotopes, therefore a new source of these could prove very valuable. Proof of concept tests have shown that high powered lasers are capable of producing such radioisotopes, however, the same studies have suggested that laser repetition rate is critical. EPAC will have one of the highest repetition rates of any petawatt laser globally, so it has potential for development as a source of artificial radioisotopes.
