5 Unexpected neutron structure effects in one neutron halos

Although the neutron (n) does not carry a total electric charge, its charge distribution represented in momentum space by the first electromagnetic form factor, F (n) 1 (q 2), leads to a spin independent electric potential. We calculate the first order electromagnetic corrections to the binding energy of a one neutron halo nucleus by evaluating the potential between the neutron and the charged core. Whereas a similar calculation for the neutron-proton system leads to a modest correction of less than 0.5% to the deuteron binding energy, in the case of halo nuclei, the corrections can be up to 12%, depending on the parametrization of the form factor. These large electromagnetic corrections to strong interaction physics can change our understanding of halo nuclei.