carbon16

Carbon-16 (16C) is an unstable isotope of carbon with six protons and ten neutrons, corresponding to a mass number of 16. It is not found in nature and, like many very neutron-rich light nuclei, exists only briefly when produced in laboratories. In theoretical and experimental studies, 16C is situated far from the valley of stability on the neutron-rich side of the nuclear chart and is often discussed in the context of the neutron drip line.

16C is produced transiently in high-energy nuclear reactions, such as projectile fragmentation or nucleon removal from heavier, neutron-rich beams in particle accelerators. Its existence is inferred from the detection of decay products and from measurements of its resonant states, using fragment separators, time-of-flight, and energy-loss techniques. Because no long-lived ground state has been established, experimental work emphasizes decay pathways and spectroscopic information about nearby isotopes.

From a theoretical perspective, 16C tests models of light, neutron-rich nuclei, including shell-model interactions and the role of three-nucleon forces. Predictions often indicate a low neutron separation energy and sensitivity to continuum effects, with possible changes in shell structure near the drip line. The most probable decay channels involve neutron emission and beta decay to neighboring isotopes such as 16N, with subsequent decays shaping the observed final products.