ISF 2.02

Q values for β decay of magnesium isotopes are shown as a function of neutron number (red diamonds). The Q value can be seen to exceed the proton separation energy (green triangles) in only a few cases, while it exceeds the neutron separation energy (blue circles) in many cases. In addition, emission of multiple neutrons (black and orange circles) will become animportant decay mode of neutron-rich nuclei accessible at the ISF: of the level structure of the β-decay daughter nucleus. Beta-delayed neutron spectroscopy
has been applied to nuclei that range from 8He to 23O at the NSCL facility.
The number of nuclei that will require neutron spectroscopy to unravel their level structure will dramatically increase as the isotopic chains are extended towards
the neutron dripline above oxygen (Z = 8).