  The properties of a clinical LINAC are investigated for a study of
photoactivation cross sections slightly above the neutron threshold. As an
example, the photoactivation of a tiny amount of gold by the
197Au(gamma,n)196Au reaction has been measured. The derived photon intensity is
at least comparable to conventional and widely used photon sources. In
combination with its extremely stable operation, a clinical LINAC ensures that
photoactivation studies can be performed for a wide number of targets with very
limited beamtime.
