QRPA plus phonon coupling model and the photoabsorption cross section for 18,20,22O Original Research Article

We have calculated the electric dipole strength distributions in the unstable neutron-rich oxygen isotopes 18,20,22O, in a model which include up to four quasiparticle-type configurations. The model is the extension, to include the effect of the pairing correlations, of a previous model very successful around closed shell nuclei, and it is based on the quasiparticle–phonon coupling. Low-lying dipole strength is found, which exhausts between 5 and 10% of the Thomas–Reiche–Kuhn (TRK) energy-weighted sum rule (EWSR) below 15 MeV excitation energy, in rather good agreement with recent experimental data. The role of the phonon coupling is shown to be crucial in order to obtain this result