Workshop on the Physics of Halo Nuclei

At ECT*, Trento, October 7 - 17 1996 Organized by Björn Jonson (Göteborg)  bjn@fy.chalmers.se Achim Richter (Darmstadt) richter@linac.ikp.physik.th-darmstadt.de Ian Thompson (Surrey)  I.Thompson@ph.surrey.ac.uk

Nuclear halo states have been found in a number of light nuclei close to the nucleon drip lines. These show a threshold phenomenon when a low separation energy allows the weakly bound nucleon (or cluster of nucleons) to tunnel into the space surrounding the nuclear core to give a large nuclear radius. In this very open structure, simple few-body or cluster models largely account for the most general properties of the halo states. The analysis of these threshold phenomena will have important general consequences for low-energy reaction rates in nuclear astrophysics.

The experimental examination of halo states has been gained either from size measurements, from momentum distributions of fragments, and beta decays to or from halo states. Only recently are transfer reactions probing in more detail their particle structure. Of growing interest, dictated by theory, is also the new experimental information about the structure of unbound nuclei close to the drip lines.

"The Workshop on the Physics of Halo Nuclei" was held in an extremely fruitful atmosphere, with lively and prolonged discussions regarding each of the 35 presented contributions. The number of participants was 40, and the local arrangements at ECT* were ideal for this kind of workshop.

Back to the Subatomic Physic page