Dynamics of two-neutron transfer reactions with the Borromean nucleus ⁶He

Low-energy two-neutron transfer reactions with Borromean nuclei (like ⁶He) are shown to be an effective instrument for studying both the structure of such nuclei and the dynamics of nuclear reactions with their participation. A four-body model is developed to describe such two-nucleon transfer processes within the distorted-wave Born approximation. A realistic three-body bound-state wave function of ⁶He is used in the calculations and the role of its spatial localization is thoroughly studied. In particular, it is found that the “dineutron” configuration of the ⁶He nucleus gives the dominant contribution to the two-neutron transfer cross sections. Detailed analysis of the dynamics of these reactions is carried out and the possibilities of using multineutron transfer reactions for studying the structure of other exotic nuclei, in particular ⁸He, are discussed.