Halo nuclei with the Coulomb-Sturmian basis

The rapid falloff of the oscillator functions at large radius (Gaussian asymptotics) makes them poorly suited for the description of the asymptotic properties of the nuclear wave function, a problem which becomes particularly acute for halo nuclei. We consider an alternative basis for ab initio no-core configuration interaction (NCCI) calculations, built from Coulomb-Sturmian radial functions, allowing for realistic (exponential) radial falloff. NCCI calculations are carried out for the neutron-rich He isotopes, and estimates are made for the RMS radii of the proton and neutron distributions.