Background: Weakly bound and unbound nuclei close to particle drip lines are laboratories of new nuclear structure physics at the extremes of neutron/proton excess. The comprehensive description of these systems requires an open quantum system framework that is capable of treating resonant and nonresonant many-body states on equal footing. Purpose: In this work, we construct the minimal complex-energy configuration interaction approach to describe binding energies and spectra of selected 5 $\leq$ A $\leq$ 11 nuclei. Method: We employ the complex-energy Gamow shell model (GSM) assuming a rigid $^4$He core. The effective Hamiltonian, consisting of a core-nucleon Woods-Saxon potential and a simplified version of the Furutani-Horiuchi-Tamagaki interaction with the mass-dependent scaling, is optimized in the sp space. To diagonalize the Hamiltonian matrix, we employ the Davidson method and the Density Matrix Renormalization Group technique. Results: Our optimized GSM Hamiltonian offers a good reproduction of binding energies and spectra with the root-mean-square (rms) deviation from experiment of 160 keV. Since the model performs well when used to predict known excitations that have not been included in the fit, it can serve as a reliable tool to describe poorly known states. A case in point is our prediction for the pair of unbound mirror nuclei $^{10}$Li-$^{10}$N in which a huge Thomas-Ehrman shift dramatically alters the pattern of low-energy excitations. Conclusion: The new model will enable comprehensive studies of structure and reactions aspects of light drip-line nuclei.

This white paper reports on the discussions of the 2018 Facility for Rare Isotope Beams Theory Alliance (FRIB-TA) topical program "From bound states to the continuum: Connecting bound state calculations with scattering and reaction theory". One of the biggest and most important frontiers in nuclear theory today is to construct better and stronger bridges between bound state calculations and calculations in the continuum, especially scattering and reaction theory, as well as teasing out the influence of the continuum on states near threshold. This is particularly challenging as many-body structure calculations typically use a bound state basis, while reaction calculations more commonly utilize few-body continuum approaches. The many-body bound state and few-body continuum methods use different language and emphasize different properties. To build better foundations for these bridges, we present an overview of several bound state and continuum methods and, where possible, point to current and possible future connections.

The eastern region of the calcium isotope chain of the nuclei chart is, nowadays, of great activity. The experimental assessment of the limit of stability is of interest to confirm or improve microscopic theoretical models. The goal of this work is to provide the drip line of the calcium isotopes from the exact solution of the pairing Hamiltonian which incorporates explicitly the correlations with the continuum spectrum of energy. The modified Richardson equations, which include correlations with the continuum spectrum of energy modeled by the continuum single particle level density, is used to solve the many-body system. Three models are used, two isospin independent models with core 40Ca and 48Ca, and one isospin dependent model. One and two-neutron separation energies and occupation probabilities for bound and continuum states are calculated from the solution of the Richardson equations. The one particle drip line is found at the nucleus 57Ca, while the two neutron drip line is found at the nucleus 60Ca from the isospin independent model and at 66Ca from the isospin dependent one.