Excitation of the GDR and the compressional isoscalar dipole state by alpha scattering

The excitation of the isovector giant dipole resonance (GDR) by alpha scattering is investigated as a method of probing the neutron excess in exotic nuclei. DWBA calculations are presented for and and the interplay of Coulomb and nuclear excitation is discussed. Since the magnitude of the Coulomb excitation amplitude is strongly influenced by the Q-value, the neutron excess plays an important role, as it tends to lower the energy of the GDR. The excitation of the compressional isoscalar dipole state in by alpha scattering is also investigated. It is shown that the population of this latter state may be an even more sensitive probe of the neutron skin than the isovector GDR.