assuming a 15 O+ p+ p structure. To this end, we use a density-dependent contact
interaction between the valence protons, explicitly treating also the Coulomb interaction. We
find that the two-particle density distribution for Ne 17 is similar to that for C 16, which has
two valence neutrons outside the N= 8 core. That is, the two protons take a spatially compact
configuration, while the Coulomb repulsion plays a minor role. This indicates that there is a …