The experimental study of nuclei provides the opportunity to investigate the structure and dynamics of nuclei. In odd deformed various modes of nuclear excitation and their interplay can be investigated. With the use of high resolution spectrometers, high intensity radiation sources and high perfomance detectors, extensive data can be acquired.

We carry out the experimental study of medium heavy deformed nuclei by the following low-energy nuclear reactions:

• neutron capture: (n,g)
• single nucleon transfer: (d,p), (d,t)

Experiments have been carried out at the High Flux Reactor of the ILL Grenoble, at the Tandem Van de Graaff Accelerator of the TU Munich, and at the IBR-30 Reactor of the JINR Dubna.

The figure illustrates the high resolution spectrum of gamma rays in the region around 511 keV from the reaction 158Gd(n,g)159Gd obtained with the curved crystal spectrometers GAMS2/3 at the High Flux Reactor of the ILL Grenoble.