Abstract
In the study of nuclear science, characteristics such nuclear shape, size, collective and individual
motions of nucleons give very useful information about the structure of the nucleus. Quantum
numbers are also important given the fact that they are characteristic of excited states and how
they decay to other states. Nuclear fusion reactions expose the quantum properties of nuclei. In
this work, intermediate states of 150Sm, excited through the 150Nd(4He, 4n)150Sm fusion evaporation
reaction, were studied using the AFRODITE array at iThemba LABS. The gamma-gamma
coincidences, DCO ratios and linear polarization measurements were carried out and the previously
known level scheme of 150Sm was extended in the intermediate region. Emphasis has been
on low and high states in the previous study of 150Sm. In this work we report on the gamma
spectroscopy results of the 150Sm nucleus and present experimental evidence to further support
octupole correlation in the low lying negative parity states in 150Sm.
M.Phil.