Relativistic continuum-continuum coupling in the dissociation of halo nuclei.

A relativistic coupled-channels theory for the calculation of dissociation cross sections of halo nuclei is developed. A comparison with nonrelativistic models is done for the dissociation of (8)B projectiles. It is shown that neglecting relativistic effects leads to sizable inaccuracies in the extraction of the astrophysical S factor for the proton + beryllium radiative capture reaction.