A shell model approach of the stability of nuclei against nucleon emission

The stability of nuclei with respect to nucleon emission is discussed in the frame of the shell model. It is assumed that a central potential of Woods-Saxon type capable of reproducing correctly and systematically the location of the single particle energies in the neighbourhood of the Fermi level for a large range of nuclei is capable of predicting those instances when the available bound states cannot accommodate more nucleons. (15 refs).