Low-Energy Reactions with Halo Nuclei

This chapter deals with reactions involving halo nuclei at incident energies around the Coulomb barrier where new interesting phenomena are expected to appear. The production methods and the facilities providing low-energy radioactive ion beams are briefly described; then, the experimental techniques employed to identify the reaction processes that take place and the theoretical tools for the analysis and interpretation of the collected data are discussed. The results from selected experiments, investigating the influence of the structure and the peculiar properties of halo nuclei on their reaction mechanisms, are presented. Fusion, elastic scattering, transfer, and breakup are examined separately. Finally, some conclusive remarks and an outlook of the experimental issues to cope with in the future are outlined.