Microscopic cluster study of the 15,17,19 C isotopes Original Research Article

The 15,17,19 C neutron-rich isotopes are investigated with the Generator Coordinate Method, involving 14,16,18 C + n configurations. Core excitations are taken into account and are shown to play an important role for several states. The 15 C nucleus is used as a test case. Analysis of spectroscopic properties provides a 1/2+ assignment for the 19 C ground state. For 17 C, both 1/2+ and 3/2+ spins are possible. The theoretical 19 C Coulomb photodissociation cross section is in good agreement with experiment. We suggest that a similar experiment with 17 C would provide valuable information about the spin. An exploratory study of 21 C shows that this nucleus could be particle stable with a spin 1/2+ .