Theoretical studies of exotic drip-line nuclei, L. S. Ferreira, CFIF/ Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisboa − The observation of nucleon emission from drip-line nuclei has provided a unique possibility to probe nuclear structure at the extremes of stability.  From proton radioactivity, an exotic decay from levels very low in the continuum, thanks to the high sensitivity of the decay rates to details of the nuclear wave function, one can identify the dominant proton orbital, and extract important information on the structure and symmetries of the nuclei involved.

 

The use of recoil decay tagging technique, based on very selective correlations between prompt γ-rays detected at target plane with the radioactive products, results in the observation of very fine spectra of the excited states of proton unbound nuclei.  One can thus follow the evolution of proton orbitals towards the drip-line, and consequently the evolution of nuclear structure and shape.  In the present talk, we will review the theoretical approaches developed by our group to understand the mechanisms of decay by one proton emission, and the structure and shape of exotic nuclei at the limits of stability.