New large-scale shell-model calculations with full 1¯hω valence space for the sd-nuclei has been used for the first time to predict lifetimes of positive and negative parity states in neutron rich Si isotopes. The predicted lifetimes (1 - 100 ps) fall in the range of the differential Doppler shift method. Using the demonstrator of the European next generation γ-ray array, AGATA, in coincidence with the large acceptance PRISMA magnetic spectrometer from LNL (Legnaro) and the differential plunger of the University of Cologne, lifetimes of excited states in 32,33Si and 35,36S nuclei were measured. In a second step, the n¯hω structure in the stable 28Si nucleus was also studied. 28Si is an important nucleus to understand the competition between mean-field and cluster structures. It displays a wealth of structures in terms of deformation and clustering. Light heavy-ion resonant radiative capture 12C+16O has been performed at energies below the Coulomb barrier. The measured γ-spectra indicate for the first time at these energies that the strongest part of the resonance decay proceeds though intermediate states around 10 MeV. Comparisons with previous radiative capture studies above the Coulomb barrier have been performed and the results have been interpreted in terms of a favoured feeding of T = 1 states in the 28Si self-conjugate nucleus.
