Eur. Phys. J. A (2015) 51: 102
https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/i2015-15102-4

Review

Theoretical models for exotic nuclei

¹ RIKEN Nishina Center, Saitama, Japan
² Center for Mathematics and Physics, University of Aizu, Fukushima, Japan
³ Department of Physics, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
⁴ Research Center for Electron Photon Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
⁵ National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa, 181-8588, Tokyo, Japan

^* e-mail: hagino@nucl.phys.tohoku.ac.jp

Received: 2 June 2015
Accepted: 16 July 2015
Published online: 20 August 2015

Abstract

We review various theoretical models which have been used to study the properties of the ground state and excited states of nuclei close to and beyond the neutron and proton drip lines. The validity and limitations of these models are discussed with applications to recent experimental findings such as di-neutron correlations in Borromian nuclei, the soft dipole excitations, direct two-neutron and two-proton decays, and odd-even staggerings of reaction cross sections. The role of isoscalar spin-triplet pairing interaction is also pointed out in the low-lying energy spectra as well as the spin- and isospin-dependent decay rates for N = Z and N = Z + 2 nuclei with mass A < 60. A characteristic feature of the Coulomb energy displacement of the Borromian nucleus ¹¹Li is discussed in connection to the energies of isobaric analogue states (IAS) of T = 5/2 multiples in the A = 11 systems.