Actinide production in reactions of heavy ions withCm248

Transfer reactions of heavy ions with $^{248}$Cm targets are evaluated for their usefulness in producing unknown neutron-rich actinide nuclides. Cross sections for the production of nuclides in the region 91\ensuremath{\le}Z\ensuremath{\le}100 were determined radiochemically from bombardments with $^{18}$O, ${\mathrm{}}^{86}$Kr, and $^{136}$Xe ions. The systematic trends in the cross sections for these reactions can be understood in terms of the Coulomb potential and the stabilizing effect of the reaction Q values, which tend to favor the production of nuclei with Z>${Z}_{\mathrm{target}}$ with low excitation energies. Extrapolation of the product yields into unknown regions of charge and mass indicates that the use of heavy-ion transfer reactions to produce new neutron-rich above-target species is limited. Substantial production of unknown neutron-rich below-target species is expected in reactions with heavy projectiles like $^{136}$Xe and $^{238}$U.