Critical assessment of particle decay as a probe to study the continuum

Quantities that determine the structure of the continuum part of nuclear spectra are studied in detail. Measurable particle (proton) decay processes are discussed and formulas to evaluate the corresponding decay widths are analyzed. It is shown that the decaying resonances are so narrow that such processes can be treated as if the nucleus was bound and, therefore, they are not suitable to probe formalisms designed to treat the continuum. Other processes that are more sensitive to broad resonances are analyzed and suggestions for probable experiments are made.