Modeling and production of 240Am by deuteron-induced activation of a 240Pu target

A novel reaction pathway for production of 240Am is reported. Models of reaction cross-sections in EMPIRE II suggest that deuteron-induced activation of a 240Pu target produces maximum yields of 240Am from 11.5 MeV incident deuterons. This activation had not been previously reported in the literature. A 240Pu target was activated under the modeled optimum conditions to produce 240Am. The modeled cross-section for the 240Pu(d, 2n)240Am reaction is on the order of 20–30 mbarn, but the experimentally estimated value is 5.6 ± 0.2 mbarn. We discuss reasons for the discrepancy as well as production of other Am isotopes that contaminate the final product.