Three-body halo fragmentation: Polarization effects

Momentum distributions of particles from nuclear break-up of fast three-body halos are calculated for polarized beam and outgoing fragments. These momentum distributions are combined in observable quantities which emphasize the two-body correlations in the initial three-body structure as well as in the final two-body system. Applying the formalism to Li-11, we find a sensitive dependence on the p-wave content and on the position of the p-resonances in Li-10. Polarization experiments are then a new tool to study correlations in nuclear halos.