Research Activities

Simplicity in Complexity: A Journey Through the Physics of Nuclei

My researches have encompassed many areas in nuclear structure physics. My Ph.D. work was mainly focussed on the high spin phenomenon newly discovered at that time, the well- known "back-bending" in rotational bands and was carried out under the guidance of Prof. P. C. Sood (Padma Shri). During that period, I also gained reasonable understanding of the level density formalisms, application of group theory to symmetries in nuclei, the newly evolving mic-mac models, and the collective models. It has continued to sustain my researches in the areas of rotational phenomena, single particle and collective motion in odd-A and odd-odd nuclei, multi-quasiparticle states, super-deformation and identical bands, magnetic and anti-magnetic rotation, nuclear isomers and more recently nuclear astrophysics. By nature, I always tried to convert complicated and involved physics problems into simple understanding, and I always kept searching for simplicity in complexity. The vast amount of nuclear data generally formed the backbone of my studies. As a result, I also forayed into the nuclear structure and decay data evaluation around 2004 and became a part of the NSDD network of IAEA. It has provided me a unique perspective as well as importance of nuclear data. It also propelled me to try my hands in experimental studies and applications with the support of my graduate students. However, my first love always remained the theories of nuclei. Working with my students, Ph.D. fellows, post-docs, and many collaborators across the globe, has been an enriching experience. I am always thankful to them for being fellow travellers in this journey.