Direct reactions with exotic nuclei

The identification of direct-reaction processes and their subsequent exploitation for the spectroscopy of weak radioactive beams of exotic nuclei are important problems in modem nuclear physics. One- and two-nucleon knockout reactions, studied using intermediate-energy radioactive beams, have been shown to be powerful tools for this purpose. This article discusses the current status of such investigations and reviews what has been learned to date from the experiments and analyses of the past five years. The techniques are still in their formative stages, and the open questions and challenges are outlined.