Probing the halo structure of exotic nuclei by direct reactions with radioactive beams Original Research Article

The investigation of light-ion induced direct reactions using radioactive beams in inverse kinematics gives access to a wide field of nuclear structure studies in the region far off stability. The present contribution is mainly focused on the investigation of light neutron-rich halo nuclei. The method of proton-nucleus elastic scattering at intermediate energies is demonstrated to be an effective means for obtaining accurate and detailed information on the size and radial shape of halo nuclei. Differential cross sections for small-angle scattering were measured at energies near 700 MeV/u for the neutron-rich lithium isotopes 8Li, 9Li and 11Li. The experimental concept and the procedure of the data analysis in terms of the Glauber multiple scattering theory are discussed and the results on the nuclear matter radii, the matter distributions, and the significance of the data for a halo structure are presented. In a very recent experiment data on p6,8He scattering at higher momentum transfer, covering the region of the first diffraction minimum, were taken. Such data are expected to give more detailed information on the structure of the α-like core in these halo nuclei. First results are presented.