We present a new observable to study halo nuclei. This new observable is a particular ratio of angular distributions for elastic breakup and scattering. For one-neutron halo nuclei, it is shown to be independent of the reaction mechanism and to provide significant information about the structure of the projectile, including binding energy, partial-wave configuration, and radial wave function of the halo. This observable offers new capabilities for the study of nuclear structure far from stability.
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