Systematic study of energy-spin entry distributions at the proton dripline in the A∼170 region

Entry distributions in angular momentum and excitation energy have been measured for several very proton-rich isotopes of Pt and Au. This is the first systematic study of the energy-spin phase space for nuclei near and beyond the proton drip line. Comparisons are made between the distributions associated with proton-unbound Au nuclei and more stable Pt isobars. In ¹⁷³Au the first evidence is seen for the limits of excitation energy and angular momentum which a nucleus beyond the proton drip line can sustain.