Physics with low energy radioactive beams

INFN, Sez. di Pisa, Largo Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy

Abstract

This is a review of the basic mechanisms leading to high energy breakup reactions, of the formalisms used to describe them and of some of the methods to obtain the optical potentials necessary in calculations involving exotic nuclei. Semiclassical reductions of the DWBA approximation for inclusive and exclusive breakup will be presented. The observables that can be calculated are projectile’s core parallel momentum distributions, angular distributions of nucleons from the breakup, total breakup cross sections. Methods to study resonances at threshold in unbound nuclei are also introduced. In this case the exclusive observable calculated is the neutron-core relative energy spectrum. Finally, we study the two neutron transfer to the continuum reaction between two “normal” nuclei. The observable is the continuum excitation energy spectrum of the “exotic” residual nucleus created.