Octupole Deformation and Signature Inversion in ¹⁴⁵Ba

High spin states in Neutron-rich odd-N ¹⁴⁵Ba nucleus have been investigated from study of prompt γ -rays in spontaneous fission of ²⁵²Cf. The alternating party bands are identified indicating octupole deformation with simplex quantum number s = - i. The groud state band shows signature splitting and inversion at low spin. These collective band structures exhibit the competition and co-existence between symmetric and asymmetric shapes.