Tests of the discretized-continuum method in three-body dipole strengths

We investigate the 6He dipole distribution in a three-body image model. Two approaches are used to describe the three-body image continuum: the discretized-continuum method, where the scattering wave functions are approximated by square-integrable functions, and the R-matrix formalism, where their asymptotic behaviour is taken into account. We show that some ambiguity exists in the pseudostate method, owing to the smoothing technique, necessary to derive continuous distributions. We show evidence for the important role of the halo structure in the E1 dipole strength. We also address the treatment of Pauli forbidden states in the three-body wave functions.