Pushing the limits: Insights into Extreme Neutron-rich Nuclei

Takashi Nakamura (Dept. of Physics, Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan)

What are the limits to the neutron addition in atomic nuclei, and how do these extreme neutron-rich nuclei behave? The seminar addresses these fundamental questions of nuclear structure, the relevant nuclear interactions, and correlations at and beyond the stability limit: the neutron drip line. We will present recent experimental findings from the SAMURAI collaboration at the RI-Beam Factory (RIBF) at RIKEN. After introducing the unique properties of structures near and beyond the neutron dripline, the discussion will focus on the recent experimental observation of the doubly magic nucleus candidate ²⁸O and its neighbor ²⁷O [1]. Relevant findings from the recent observation of ³⁰F [2] will also be shown. Additional focus will be on the dineutron structure of halo nuclei, illustrated by the Coulomb breakup studies of halo nuclei ¹⁹B [2] and ²²C. Future directions in the spectroscopy of such extremely neutron-rich nuclei will also be explored.

[1] Y. Kondo et al., Nature 620, 965-970 (2023).
[2] J. Kahlbow et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 133, 082501 (2024).
[3] K.J. Cook, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 124, 212503 (2020).