Rare isotope production near the neutron drip line

The underlying mechanism involved in the production of very neutron-rich nuclides using projectile fragmentation is studied with an abrasion-ablation (AA) model. The AA model suggests that very neutron-rich nuclides are produced by removing nearly all the required protons in the nonequilibrium abrasion stage, with minimal evaporation of neutrons in the ablation stage\char22{}``cold fragmentation.'' Furthermore, the production of the most neutron-rich nuclei from a fixed projectile relies heavily on the neutron fluctuations in the ablation stage. The production of the nuclides closest to the neutron drip line using neutron-rich unstable beams is examined.