Exploration of the neutron-rich mass surface from 11Li to 66Fe

A small revolution in our ability to perform mass measurements of light-mass, neutron-rich nuclei has occurred during the last five years with the extension of the direct, total mass measurement method to fast recoiling nuclei. To date the work of two groups, one using the SPEG spectrometer at GANIL and the other using the TOFI spectrometer at LAMPF, has yielded over 85 mass measurements of which 62 had not been reported previously. Extending from the neutron-halo nucleus 11Li up to 66Fe, a region relevant to the astrophysical r-process, these measurements have provided a valuable first glimpse into the interesting nuclear structure present in many of these exotic nuclei. Herein we highlight the nuclear structure insight which as been gained from these measurements, especially that learned from a comparison to recent shell model calculations. Attention is given to: (1) the binding of loosely-bound neutron halo nuclei; (2) the N=14--16 region in the neutron-rich isotopes of O, F, and Ne where the strong two-body interaction plays an important role; (3) the deformed intruder state region around 31Na of long standing interest; (4) the neutron-rich isotopes of sulfur and chlorine; and (5) the question of the isospin dependence (or independence) of neutron and proton pairing energies in the fp shell. Only the briefest account of this work can be given here; emphasis is placed on the most recent results. 24 refs., 3 figs