Recent studies of nuclear structure far from stability

The use of state-of-the-art instrumentation such as i) highly efficient gamma-ray spectrometers: GAMMASPHERE, CLARION and the 8π; ii) large solid angle charged-particle detector systems: Microball, HyBall, and Miniball; iii) recoil separators: FMA and RMS; and, iv) proton-rich radioactive ion beams is making possible the study of properties of nuclei under extreme conditions of angular momentum, excitation energy, and isospin. One example is the study of the fundamental mechanisms for the origin of deformation in the mass 130 region. This mass region represents an important laboratory for understanding the role in deformation of the occupation of different intruder/extruder orbitals. A series of recent experiments has led to the discovery of several rotational bands in nuclei in this region extending significantly our knowledge of deformation on the chains of Pm, Nd, Pr, Ce and La isotopes.