Differential cross-section angular distributions for the elastic scattering of 270 MeV³He particles from⁵⁸Ni,⁹⁰Zr,¹¹⁶Sn and²⁰⁸Pb have been measured. Optical model analysis of the cross-sections has yielded the optical model parameters for³He particles at 270 MeV. Angular distributions have also been measured for the inelastic excitation of the low-lying levels in the above mentioned nuclei. A collective model analysis using the distorted wave Born approximation (DWBA) of these cross-sections with the distorted waves generated by the optical model parameters determined from the elastic scattering analysis, has yielded the reduced transition probability (B(EL)) values consistent with those reported in the literature.

The giant resonance region in⁹⁰Zr and¹¹⁶Sn excited by 270 MeV helions has been measured up to about 35 MeV excitation energy. The low and the high energy octupole resonances are seen prominently in addition to the quadrupole and the monopole resonances. The angular distribution data for the various multipoles are satisfactorily explained by the collective model calculations. The percentatge energy weighted sum rule strengths have been determined for all the prominent resonances.

The emission spectra of prompt fission neutrons from mass and kinetic energy selected fission fragments have been measured in²³⁵U(n_th,f). Neutron energies were determined from the measurement of the neutron time of flight using a NE213 scintillation detector. The fragment energies were measured by a pair of surface barrier detectors in one set of measurements and by a back-to-back gridded ionization chamber in the second set of measurements. The data were analysed event by event to deduce neutron energy in the rest frame of the emitting fragment for the determination of neutron emission spectra and multiplicities as a function of the fragment mass and total kinetic energy. The results are compared with statistical model calculations using shell and excitation energy dependent level density formulations to deduce the level density parameters of the neutron rich fragment nuclei over a large range of fragment masses.

The measurements of fission fragment angular distributions for the system¹⁹F+²³²Th have been extended to the sub-barrier energies of 89.3, 91.5 and 93.6 MeV. The measured anisotropies, within errors are nearly the same over this energy region. However, the deviation of the experimental values of anisotropies from that of standard statistical model predictions increases as the bombarding energy is lowered.

Dynamical trajectory calculations were carried out for the reactions of¹¹B+²³⁷Np and¹²C,¹⁶O and¹⁹F+²³²Th, having mass asymmetries on either side of the Businaro-Gallone critical mass asymmetry α_BG, in order to examine the mass asymmetry dependence of fusion reactions in these systems. The compound nucleus formation times were calculated as a function of the partial wave of the reaction for all the systems. This study brings out that for systems with α<α_BG, the formation times are significantly larger than for α>α_BG, which is caused by the dynamical effects involved in the large scale shape changes taking place in the fusion process as well as due to the interplay between the thermal and the collective motion during the collision process. The calculated time scales are comparable to the experimental values derived from the pre-fission neutron multiplicity measurements.

The³²S +²⁷Al reaction was studied to investigate the deep inelastic collisions at a bombarding energy of 130 MeV which is well above the Coulomb barrier. The energy distributions of the binary decay products of 6⩽Z⩽10 were determined using a large area position sensitive ionization chamber. The average kinetic energies of the reaction products indicate that the exit shapes correspond to highly stretched scission configurations in the deep-inelastic processes.

In the backdrop of many models, the heavy cluster structure of the ground state of $^{24}$Mg has been probed experimentally for the first time using the heavy cluster knockout reaction $^{24}$Mg($^{12}$C, $^{212}$C)$^{12}$C in thequasifree scattering kinematic domain. In the ($^{12}$C, $^{212}$C) reaction, the direct $^{12}$C-knockout cross-section was found to be very small. Finite-range knockout theory predictions were much larger for ($^{12}$C, 212C) reaction,indicating a very small $^{12}$C−$^{12}$C clustering in $^{24}$Mg(g.s.). Our present results contradict most of the proposed heavy cluster ($^{12}$C+$^{12}$C) structure models for the ground state of $^{24}$Mg.