Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Low- and medium-spin bands of 187Os have been studied using the AFRODITE array, following the 186W(4He,3n)187Os reaction at a beam energy of 37 MeV. The measurements of 􀀀 coincidences, angular distribution ratios (RAD), polarization and -intensities were performed using eleven High Purity Germanium (HPGe) clover detectors. In the current work, all the previously known bands have been signi cantly extended and ve new bands have been added to the level scheme. The observed bands are interpreted within the cranked shell model (CSM), cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky- Bogoliubov (CNSB) formalism and Quasiparticle-plus-Triaxial-Rotor (QTR) model. Systematic comparison of bands with the neighbouring isotopes has also been made. Comparison of the models with experimental data shows good agreement.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Lying in a rapidly-changing transitional region between nuclei that may behave as spherical vibrators (N ≤ 88) or good rotors (N ≥ 92), the N = 90 isotones present a unique testing ground where new nuclear collective phenomena may be uncovered. As part of a general investigation of collective structures and the coupling of single-particle states to these structures, the 150Sm(12C,4nγγ) and 150Sm(13C,4nγγ) reactions at a beam energy of Elab = 65 MeV were used to study the low and medium spin structure of 158,159Er nuclei below spin 20~. The γ-γ coincidence events were detected in the nine escape-suppressed HPGe Clover detectors using the AFRODITE γ-ray spectrometer at the iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator Based Sciences. DCO ratios and γ-ray polarization measurements were used to establish the spins and parities of newly observed and confirm previously established rotational bands. The observed bands will be discussed in terms of both traditional quadrupole rotational-vibration models and recent predictions of octupole correlations in the N = 90 isotones and neighbouring nuclei. The data obtained will be compared with the spectroscopic systematics of neighbouring nuclei.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Low- and medium-spin bands of 187Os have been studied using the AFRODITE array, following the 186W(4He,3n)187Os reaction at a beam energy of 37 MeV. The measurements of γ − γ coincidences, angular distribution ratios (RAD), polarization and γ-intensities were performed using eleven High Purity Germanium (HPGe) clover detectors. In the current work, all the previously known bands have been significantly extended and five new bands have been added to the level scheme. The observed bands are interpreted within the cranked shell model (CSM), cranked Nilsson-StrutinskyBogoliubov (CNSB) formalism and Quasiparticle-plus-Triaxial-Rotor (QTR) model. Systematic comparison of bands with the neighbouring isotopes has also been made. Comparison of the models with experimental data shows good agreement. The configurations of some of the previously observed bands have been modified. Most importantly, the coupling of 2+ γ band to the 11/2+[615] neutron configuration is observed for the first time.