Probing Halo and Molecular States in Light, Neutron-rich Nuclei

Until relatively recently cluster studies have been confined to the region encompassing the line of beta stability. As clustering is expected to manifest itself most strongly near thresholds, exotic structures might be expected to form in the more weakly bound systems found in the vicinity of the driplines. Perhaps the most striking example of this are the halo nuclei. In the present paper two topics are addressed. Firstly a brief review is given of the status of work on xα:Xn molecular states. Secondly radiative capture of protons is investigated as a probe of clustering through the example provided by the reaction He(p,γ) at 40 MeV.