Breakup reactions are one of the main tools for the study of exotic nuclei,
and in particular of their continuum. In order to get valuable information from
measurements, a precise reaction model coupled to a fair description of the
projectile is needed. We assume that the projectile initially possesses a
cluster structure, which is revealed by the dissociation process. This
structure is described by a few-body Hamiltonian involving effective forces
between the clusters. Within this assumption, we review various reaction
models. In semiclassical models, the projectile-target relative motion is
described by a classical trajectory and the reaction properties are deduced by
solving a time-dependent Schroedinger equation. We then describe the principle
and variants of the eikonal approximation: the dynamical eikonal approximation,
the standard eikonal approximation, and a corrected version avoiding Coulomb
divergence. Finally, we present the continuum-discretized coupled-channel
method (CDCC), in which the Schroedinger equation is solved with the projectile
continuum approximated by square-integrable states. These models are first
illustrated by applications to two-cluster projectiles for studies of nuclei
far from stability and of reactions useful in astrophysics. Recent extensions
to three-cluster projectiles, like two-neutron halo nuclei, are then presented
and discussed. We end this review with some views of the future in
breakup-reaction theory.Comment: Will constitute a chapter of "Clusters in Nuclei - Vol.2." to be
published as a volume of "Lecture Notes in Physics" (Springer
