We present a study of weakly bound, neutron-rich nuclei using the nuclear shell model employing the complex Berggren ensemble representing bound single-particle states, unbound Gamow states, and the nonresonant continuum. In the proposed Gamow shell model, the Hamiltonian consists of a one-body finite depth (Woods-Saxon) potential and a residual two-body interaction. We discuss the basic ingredients of the Gamow shell model. The formalism is illustrated by calculations involving several valence neutrons outside the double-magic core: ${}^{6–10}\mathrm{He}$ and ${}^{18–22}\mathrm{O}.$

• Received 20 February 2003

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.67.054311