Proton-Neutron correlations in N=Z nuclei

Abstract

The issue of correlations between protons and neutrons has become a major focus of nuclear structure research along the proton dripline. The strength of these correlations determined when nuclear binding ends. The correlations can have isospin T=1, just like "normal" neutron-neutron and protonproton pairs, or have more exotic structure in a deuteron-like T=0 configuration. I will discuss ways of studying these correlations and their relative importance. Odd-odd N=Z nuclei are good laboratories for this work.