Theoretical investigations in the breakup of exotic nuclei.

The r-process is an enigma and the light and medium mass neutron rich exotic nuclei are conjectured to play a crucial role in the production of seed nuclei and elements for the same. It has been predicted that for these exotic nuclei, neutron capture should dominate over alpha-capture, thereby ensuring that the yields of neutron rich isotopes are abundant along the r-process path. In particular, we deal with 34Na, a near drip line nucleus which is a strong candidate to be a deformed halo in the `island of inversion'. Using the entirely quantum mechanical theory of finite range distorted wave Born approximation (FRDWBA) stretched to include deformation effects, we calculate its elastic Coulomb dissociation cross-section as 34Na is bombarded at a beam energy of 100 MeV/u on 208Pb. We then study the inverse 33Na(n,g)34Na reaction and find its radiative capture cross-section. Finding its neutron capture rate, we compare it with the rate of an alpha-capture by a 33Na nucleus calculated from the Hauser-Feshbach model. It is found that the rate of the 33Na(n,g)34Na reaction is higher than the rate of the 33Na(a,n)36Al reaction which should effectively push the abundance of sodium isotopes towards the neutron drip line.