Abstract
Inelastic scattering of 15-MeV deuterons from Ni60, Zr92, and Sn120 nuclei has been studied with adequate resolution to enable identification of almost all states of known spin and parity. Detailed angular distributions of deuteron groups corresponding to well-resolved states of these nuclei have been measured and compared with distorted-wave Born approximation calculations for single excitation using a deformed optical-model potential. The theoretical predictions, including Coulomb excitation and for a complex coupling, are found to be quite successful for strongly excited states. The status of the Blair phase rule is discussed in the context of the aforesaid comparison. Spin and parity assignments are made for several new levels. Excitation energies, differential cross sections, and reduced transition probabilities have been tabulated and compared with previously known values.