Weak binding effects on the structure of $^{40}$Mg

TL;DR

This paper explores how weakly bound neutrons in $^{40}$Mg influence its nuclear structure and excitation spectrum, focusing on particle-core coupling effects in halo nuclei.

Contribution

It investigates the impact of weak binding on excitation properties of $^{40}$Mg, highlighting possible coupling schemes and their effects on low-lying states.

Findings

Weak binding significantly affects the excitation spectrum.

Particle-core coupling schemes are crucial for understanding halo nuclei.

Results provide insights into the structure of $^{40}$Mg and similar isotopes.

Abstract

While the phenomenon of one- and two-neutron ground-state halo nuclei is well established, the effects of weak binding on nuclear excitation properties remain largely unexplored. Motivated by this question and by recent data in $^{40}$Mg we investigate the coupling of weakly bound (halo) valence neutrons to a core using the known properties of $^{40}$Mg to explore and illustrate possible particle-core coupling schemes and their impact on the low-lying excitation spectrum.