N=14 shell closure in O-22 viewed through a neutron sensitive probe

To investigate the behavior of the N=14 neutron gap far from stability with a neutron-sensitive probe, proton elastic and 2(1)(+) inelastic scattering angular distributions for the neutron-rich nucleus O-22 were measured using the MUr a STrip detector array at the Grand Accelerateur National d'Ions Lourds facility. A deformation parameter beta(p,p)(')=0.26 +/- 0.04 is obtained for the 2(1)(+) state, much lower than in O-20, showing a weak neutron contribution to this state. A microscopic analysis was performed using matter and transition densities generated by continuum Skyrme-Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov and quasiparticle random phase approximation calculations, respectively. The ratio of neutron to proton contributions to the 2(1)(+) state is found close to the N/Z ratio, demonstrating a strong N=14 shell closure in the vicinity of the neutron drip line.