K-shell ionisation cross secions of Cu, Ge, Mo, Ag and Sn in proton impact have been measured systematically in the energy range 0.3 to 1.8 MeV. Thin targets have been used in transmission geometry. Data are compared with the predictions of the PWBA and the PWBA modified to include corrections due to Coulomb retardation of the projectile, increased binding of the target electron during collision and the relativistic nature of theK-shell electrons. The intensity ratiosK_α/K_β have also been obtained as a function of proton energy for all the five elements.

A plunger set-up has been designed and constructed to measure picosecond nuclear half-lives using recoil distance method (RDM). The system has been used to measure the half-lives of nuclear states in³⁵Cl,^37,38Ar and⁴⁰K. The shortest half-life measured with the system isT_1/2=0.36(14) ps for the 4366 keV (8⁺) state and the longest half-life isT_1/2=1.10(7) ns for the 2543 keV (7⁺) state in⁴⁰K.