Problems with the interpretation of the 10He ground state

The continuum of the He-10 nucleus is studied theoretically in a three-body He-8+n+n model based on recent information concerning the He-9 spectrum [M. S. Golovkov et al., Phys. Rev. C 76, 021605(R) ( 2007)]. The He-10 ground state (g.s.) candidate with structure [p(1/2)](2) for new g.s. energy of He-9 is predicted to be at about 2.0-2.3 MeV. The peak in the cross section associated with this state may be shifted to a lower energy (e.g., similar to 1.2 MeV) when He-10 is populated in reactions with Li-11 due to a peculiar reaction mechanism. Formation of the low-energy (E < 250 keV) alternative ground state with structure [s(1/2)](2) is highly probable in He-10 when there is considerable attraction (e.g., a < -5 fm) in the s-wave He-9 channel, whose properties are still quite uncertain. This result either questions the existing experimental low-energy spectrum of He-10 or places a limit on the scattering length in the He-9 channel, which contradicts existing data.