Reactions with exotic nuclei: recent results and challenges

Abstract

Abstract. The interaction of exotic nuclei with various targets and implying different types of reactions allows to access a rich variety of information. Some examples of the latest results and recent developments related to some of these reactions are reviewed. IntroductionWith the availability of secondary beams of relatively good optical qualities and intensities, and thanks to the construction of sophisticated experimental equipment, it is now possible to perform experiments where the secondary beams interact with a target, and to study the different reactions, which come into play. Reactions with exotic beams are mainly used to study the structure of exotic nuclei. This is specifically the case of the so-called direct reactions, namely elastic and inelastic scattering, transfer and knock-out reactions. This is presently the main focus of experiments related to reactions with exotic nuclei, and the present review will illustrate some of the many subjects that can be addressed in this domain.Direct reactions with exotic beams are usually performed in inverse kinematics, by using light targets with simple structure such as proton, deuterons, or alpha. The structure information on the nucleus of interest are extracted either via the missing mass method from the kinematical characteristics (angle and energy) of the light recoil nucleus, or via the invariant mass method where the fragments from the ejectile are measured in order to reconstruct their relative energy spectrum.We shall review in the following the different types of direct reactions and the latest results obtained especially for the light neutron rich nuclei. Reactions mechanisms with exotic beams and their specificities are also a subject, which will be briefly addressed.