Unbound exotic nuclei studied by projectile fragmentation

We present a simple time-dependent model for the excitation of a nucleon from a bound state to a continuum resonant state in a neutron–core complex potential which acts as a final state interaction. The final state is described by an optical model S-matrix so that both resonant and non-resonant states of any continuum energy can be studied as well as deeply bound initial states. It is shown that, due to the coupling between the initial and final states, the neutron–core free particle phase shifts are modified, in the exit channel, by an additional phase. The effect of the additional phase on the breakup spectra is clarified. As an example the population of the low energy resonances of 11Be and of the unbound 13Be is discussed. Finally, we suggest that the excitation energy spectra of an unbound nucleus might reflect the structure of the parent nucleus from whose fragmentation they are obtained.