Department of Physics was founded in 1952 together with the foundation of the Technical University with three faculties - Faculty of Mining, Metallurgy and Mechanical Engineering. A group of young physicists undertook a not easy task - to build up department of physics in Easter Slovakia with modest funds. The objective of this department was to educate future engineers and scientists and at the same time to do research work which was expected to be helpful in industrial development of this part of Slovakia. In this way the Department of Physics became „alma mater“ of the development of physics in this region. Several names - Hajko, Szabó, Dubinský, Rákoš remain engraved with golden letters into this history.
Since 1969, when the Faculty of Electrical Engineering was founded, the Department of Physics has been its part. At present the teachers of the Department of Physics give courses for all university students, although the Department is a part of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics. The Department of Physics offers and gives several physical courses. The teachers give obligatory lectures in physics and optional courses for all university under- and postgraduates.The department teachers do research in the following fields:

·         polymer physics,

·         physics of magnetic phenomena,

·         cosmic and subnuclear physics. 

During the 50 year’s existence of the Department of Physics the department teachers and research workers have been working on the tens of research projects and have been publishing their results in the hundreds of papers in Slovak and foreign professional journals and conference proceedings. The department workers have designed and assembled several experimental apparatuses which are used in research. 
The research work at the Department has been enriched by the collaboration with the Department of Experimental Physics and Department of Nuclear Physics, University of P.J. Šafárik in Košice, Institute of Experimental Physics of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Košice, Polymer Institute, Slovak Academy of Science, Bratislava, Research Institute for Man-Made Fibres in Svit, Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague, Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia, Forshungszentrum, Institut fur Kernphysik, Juelich, Germany, Department of the Molecular Physics, Kazan State University, Russia, Laboratory of Membrane Processes, Karpov’s Physical-Chemical Institute in Moscow, Central Physical Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary.
We would like to express our sincere thanks to the Management of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics who always support the efforts of the Department of Physics to develop the research and education process at the Department. On the occasion of the the 50^th anniversary of the foundation of the Technical University of Košice and 50^th anniversary of the foundation of the Department of Physics our Department organizes Scientific Conference "Physics 2002". Our thanks belong also to the editorial board of the journal Acta Electrotechnica et Informatica for its contribution to the conference high level by publishing conference papers in this journal.

                                                            doc. RNDr. Barnabáš ZAGYI, CSc.
                                                                       Head of Department

A monolayer of amphiphilic molecules at the air/water interface is studied using the displacement current technique in the metal/air-gap/monolayer configuration. The vertical component of the molecular dipole moment is evaluated during lateral compression.The dielectric relaxation phenomena in the monolayer are investigated in the dependence of the polar orientational order of onstituent molecules.

The prospectives of biodegradable plastics are discussed. The types of naturally occurring plastics as well as biodegradable synthetic plastics are shown; the advantages and drawbacks of the application of both are discussed. The possibilities and requirements are outlined for EPDs to be beneficial in plastics waste management. Polyhydroxybutyrate is discussed as a typical representative of biodegradable plastics; its advantages, drawbacks and the strategies for improvement are shown. Interesting phenomenon of extensive physical ageing is presented and discussed.

The orientation of macromolecules in a solid polymer may have a profound influence on the macroscopic physical properties of the polymer. The influence of drawing on molecular chains mobility in polyamide-6 (PA-6) at room temperature was studied in this paper by means of broad-line NMR experiments. PA-6 fibres were drawn at twoo different temperatures: 20 ⁰C and 190 ⁰C, respectively, with a different drawn ratio =1, 2, 3, 4. The influence of drawing on molecular chains mobility is based on the variations of the second moment NMR that varies its shape with temperature and drawing process. The obtained broadline ¹H NMR spectra were analysed by modified Bergmann method supposing that spectra may be expressed as a sum of three elementary spectra: y_n (narrow), y_m (middle) and y_b (broad), with the weight factors w_i (i-stands for n, m and b, respectively). The narrow component, corresponding to the chains with the highest mobility was taken as Lorentzian function, the middle one, y_m, corresponding to the chains of non crystalline regions with hindered mobility was choosen as the normalized product of the Gaussian and Lorentzian functions, and the broad component y_b, representong rigid chains, was derived from the low temperatuere spectrum measured at –140 ⁰C. The weight factors w_i and parameters of individual spectral components were calculated from experimental spectra by means of the least square method. NMR spectra differ from each other in shape and corresponding parameters, reffering to a different mobility of chains in different regions in connection with the sample processing.  At room temperature both ordered  and disordered regions contribute to the broad component of the NMR curve. Any narrow component which is due to the presence of polymer-water comlex units in the sample becomes sharp for highly drawn fibres. The broad component increases at the expense of decreasing of the fraction w_m.

The Zimm model of the dynamics of polymers in solution is developed. The Zimm equation for the radius vectors of polymer segments is generalized taking into account the effect of hydrodynamic viscous memory. On the basis of the nonstationary Navier-Stokes equation the Oseen tensor is built. After the preliminary averaging of the tensor a non-Markovian equation for the time correlation function of the Fourier components of the segment position is derived. The hydrodynamic memory essentially affects the time behavior of the correlation function of the Fourier amplitudes of the chain fragment coordinates. It is demonstrated by its long-time asymptote that now has a fractional power character t^-5/2 instead of the traditional exponent. The relaxation time and the diffusion coefficient of the macromolecule as a whole are shown to be the same as in the Zimm model.

The macromolecular orientation in ultimately drawn tapes made of polypropylene-(low density) polyethylene (PP/PE) blends with different concentration of components has been studied by broad-line nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The dependences of the second moment of NMR spectra measured at ambient temperature have been analysed according to theoretical relationship derived for uniaxially oriented polymeric films or tapes. The parameters A₂ and A₄ characterizing the anisotropy and parameter A₀ characterizing the total second moment have been obtained for all studied tapes. It was found out that the tapes possess high degree of uniaxial macromolecular orientation. A new parameter, defined as a linear combination of anisotropy parameters A₂ and A₄ has been introduced. A constant value of this parameter for all samples suggests that the macromolecular orientation of PP and PE components in each blend is the same as it is in homopolymers alone, subjected to the same deformation conditions as blends. It means that the orientation obeys additivity rule. The immiscibility of components of PP/PE blends does not  mean their absolute independency. Both components have to be „mechanicaly“ bound together. The partial amorphisation of the components in some blends has been deduced from parameter A₀ in the NMR second moment.

This paper deals with the study of influence of drawing on structure and on molecular mobility in gel-spun fibres made of linear UHMW polyethylene by means of dynamic-mechanical method. The tensile loss modulus  has been measured at a fixed frequency of 110 Hz as a function of temperature in the range from 115 K up to 420 K. Two relaxation processes denoted as γ (between 115 – 150 K) and α (between 300 – 420 K) have been registered for all studied fibres. The high-temperature α process has been analysed with the assumption of the distribution of relaxation times according to Davidson-Cole, with their temperature dependence according to Arrhenius relationship. Several parameters characterizing the position, maximum and shape of “loss-peaks” have been obtained by fitting experimental data according to theoretical expression for . The variations of these parameters in respect to draw ratio, λ = l / l₀ , are consistent with three-stage deformation model proposed by Van Aerle and Braam as well as with the model of chain diffusion between crystalline and amorphous regions in PE, proposed by Schmidt-Rohr and Spiess.

The study of the polymer blend composed of isotactic polypropylene (i-PP) and ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer and of the components of this blend was made with the use of the broad line ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance technique. Experiments were carried out within the broad temperature range of 160 – 370 K that covers the glass transition regions of all investigated polymers. Interpretation of the experimental results is based on analysis of the variation of the second moments M₂ with temperature and on decomposition of the NMR spectra into elementary components related to the amorphous, intermediate and crystalline regions of partially crystalline polymers. The temperature dependences of the second moment of the spectra measured on the terpolymer and i- PP show drops in the temperature ranges 200 – 250 K and 270 – 320 K, respectively, which are related to the glass transitions of the particular polymers. A double glass transition was revealed on the blend by means of the second moment temperature dependence whereby the observed transitions are located in the glass transition temperature regions of the components of the blend. A chain penetration of one polymer into the region of the second one and mutual restriction of the chain mobility were concluded from the fact that the second moment M₂ of the measured spectra differs from that calculated using the additivity principle. Some conclusions concerning the relaxation processes in the particular phases of the PP and blend were drawn from the temperature dependences of the mass fractions of the structural phases. The relaxation process related to the lower glass transition was found to be associated with activation of the hindered chain motion and then with its transformation into “free” motion. The lower crystallinity and the higher fraction of intermediate regions of the blend, compared with those of neat i-PP, were found

The paper deals with investigation of structural-dynamic changes during thermotropic phase transition in aqueous polymer solutions and gels. Poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PVME)/D₂O solutions and gels, poly(N,N-diethylacrylamide)(PDEAAm)/D₂O solutions and gels, and poly(N-isopropylmethacrylamide)/D₂O solutions were studied by combination of several ¹H NMR methods. For all systems studied, both phase separation in solutions and volume phase transition (collapse) in gels of crosslinked polymers result in a marked line broadening of a major part of polymer segments, evidently due to the formation of compact globular structures. Chemical crosslinking and especially the presence of the negative charges on polymer chain result in the shift of the transition region. In most cases (with exception of dilute PVME/D₂O solutions) the transition as observed by NMR appeared as continuous. ¹H MAS NMR spectra and T_2eff relaxation measurements (using multiple-pulse MW4 sequences) have shown that motion of PDEAAm segments in D₂O solutions and gels above the transition region is effectively isotropic with correlation time tc=2s; such motion probably corresponds to isotropic Brownian motion of globules as a whole. Measurements of spin-spin relaxation time T₂ in PVME/D₂O solutions have shown that globular structures are more compact in dilute solution in comparison with semidilute or concentrated solutions where globules probably contain a certain amount of water. A certain portion of water molecules bound at elevated temperatures in (to) PVME globular structures in semidilute and concentrated solutions was revealed from measurements of spin-lattice and spin-spin relaxation times of HDO molecules.

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) has been used to investigate the helix-coil transition of deoxyribonucleic acid - DNA in the presence of chloride salts of Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺. Thermal denaturation of DNA was observed in a wide range of metal ion concentrations. DNA from chicken erythrocytes was employed as target for metal interaction in aqueous solutions. The dependence of the melting temperature T_m of DNA, the width of the DNA melting curve T, and the enthalpy of the helix-coil transition of DNA on the molar ratio [Me²⁺]/[PO₂^-] have been determined. The thermal stability of DNA depends not only on the type of ion but also on the value of its concentration and on the nature of solvent.  It was shown that the thermal stability of DNA increases at low [Me²⁺]/[PO₂^-] ratios and the melting temperature passes through the maximum. With the further increase of the metal ions concentration the melting temperature changes very little. At high ion concentrations the melting temperature decreases.

In this article we present new effects in the amorphous Curie-point wandering due to long time isothermal heat treatments of the sample at different temperatures. In all early papers an inverse relation between the Curie temperature and the temperature of isothermal annealing is observed. We found, that this inverse relation is not fulfilled in the case of Fe₄₀Ni₄₀ Si₆ B₁₄  amorphous alloys up to 350⁰C (low temperature regime), and appears only when the temperature of annealing approaches the temperature of glass transition (T_g). The results are interpreted on the basis of Chemical Short Range Order (CRSO) fluctuation (phase reminiscence effects) in the glass.

X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and magnetization measurements performed by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) were used to observe the evolution of the structure and magnetic properties of the Co_70.3Fe_4.7B₂₅ alloys prepared by ball milling of microcrystalline ribbon and of a mixture of pure powders. For both starting materials ball milling produces nanocrystalline structure with nanometer sized crystals. The both series of Co_70.3Fe_4.7B₂₅ alloys are the ferromagnetic materials.
The (Co,Fe)₃B phase was detected in milled Co_70.3Fe_4.7B₂₅ microcrystalline ribbon by means of XRD. This phase is stable during the whole process of milling. Long-time milling up to 1500 hours causes magnetic moment to decrease monotonously and reduces its value by 50 %. Observed decrease of magnetic moment is due to the decrease of powder size as seen from XRD and SEM observation and because of high level of structural defects which are generated during the milling process. The coercivity of milled ribbon at the beginning of milling process steeply rises and reaches its maximum at 24 kA/m for 200 hours of milling, then it decreases very slowly with milling time. XRD diffractograms, show, that at early stages of milling two cobalt allotropes, i.e. hcp-Co and fcc-Co, are present in the  structure of milled mixture of powder elements Co(70.3 at. %), Fe(4.7 at. %) and B(25 at. %). After 800 hours of milling the CoO phase appears and its amounts increases with further milling up to 1600 hours. The magnetic moment of pure powders mixture decreases with the milling time more steeply compared to milled ribbon and milling reduces its value by 70 %. Similarly to the previous case, this decrease of magnetic moment is caused by the decrease of the powder size and the high level of structural defects. Another reason for such a kind of behaviour is the fact that the phase CoO is antiferromagnetic with Neel temperature 271 K . As its amount with milling time increases, certain amount of cobalt is trapped in the CoO phase and therefore the total magnetic moment is lowered. The coercivity shows rather complicated behaviour which is characterized with maximum at 20.6 kA/m for 800 hours of milling.

Internal stresses of the Fe₈₅B₁₅ amorphous alloy during hydrogenation-dehydrogenation process are investigated by measurements of the energy of the total and stress induced anisotropy, the coercivity, the demagnetization factor, and the Barkhausen noise parameters.

The paper deals with microstructural changes of the as-cast and isothermally annealed Fe₈₅B₁₅ amorphous alloy, indirectly observed by measurements of microstructure-sensitive magnetic properties as the coercivity, the energy of total and stress induced anisotropy, the demagnetisation factor, and the Barkhausen noise parameters. The microstructural changes were observed in such temperature range within which the Fe₈₅B₁₅ amorphous alloy was characterized as a soft magnetic material.

In this work, fine Fe-Si powders with a nanocrystalline structure were prepared by mechanical alloying (high energy ball milling) of the original microcrystalline sample in the form of ribbon. The magnetization of the sample decreases with milling time due to the decrease of powder size and of the increase of the amount of superparamagnetic phase. Phases in Fe-Si (6,5 wt.% of Si) ball milled for different lengths of time have been investigated by  vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). It was found that two various phases of Fe-Si solid solution with Curie temperatures 749^oC and 715^oC can be formed by ball milling of Fe-Si (6,5 wt.% of Si) at room temperature. The Curie temperature of the Fe-Si (6.at%. of Si) solid solution is 749^oC and the Curie temperature of the Fe-Si (12 at%. of Si) solid solution is 715^oC. In the milling procedure the amorphous phase with Curie temperature 229^oC were also formed.

We simulated the remagnetization dynamics of the ultra-dense and ultra-thin magnetic dot array system with dipole-dipole and exchange coupling interactions. Within the proposed 2D XY superlattice model, the square dots are modeled by the spatially modulated exchange-couplings. The dipole-dipole interactions were approximated by the hierarchical sums and dynamics was reduced to damping term of the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation. The simulation of 40000 spin system leads to nonequilibrium nonuniform configurations with soliton-antisoliton pairs detected at intra-dot and inter-dot scales. The classification of intra-dot magnetic configurations was performed using the self-adaptive neural networks with varying number of neurons.

In this work we deal with doubly decorated Ising-Heisenberg models on planar lattices. Applying the generalized decoration-iteration transformation we obtain exact results for the antiferromagnetic version of the model. The existence of a new quantum dimerized phase is predicted and its physical properties are studied and analyzed. Particular attention has been paid to the investigation of the phase boundaries, pair-correlation functions and specific heat. A possible application of the present work to some molecular magnets is also drawn.

The positive influence of the laser treating on the decrease of power losses of many soft magnetic materials (as well as nanocrystalline FINEMET) is well known. The surface defects can cause refinement of the domain structure producing small domains with movable domain walls. Such a refinement is one of the ways how to reduce dynamic loss at higher frequencies which is dominant in the total power loss. What is the role of surface defects caused by the excimer laser treatment on the bulk and surface-layer coercivity, domain structure and anisotropy, that is the question which we would like to answer in this article.

The domain wall dynamics during magnetization reversal of a magnetostrictive FeSiB amorphous wire is described by means of the core-shell model assuming residual radial tensile stresses in the as-cast state. The appearance of a square-shaped low field hysteresis loop is ascribed to the propagation of a single magnetic domain wall along an internal core of the wire with axial magnetization. A modified Sixtus-Tonks experiment [1] for the FeSiB amorphous wire has been performed to investigate a shape of the propagating domain wall and its velocity.

The nanometer-sized grain dimension is unexclusive criterion for the achievement of exceptional magnetic softness. The ultra-soft magnetic properties during amorphous phase devitrification can be developed only, if the crystallization takes place via primary reaction. This reaction is inherited from the decomposition mechanism of hypo-eutectic Fe-B glasses. In the present contribution it will be shown, how the sufficient separation of the two-step crystallization stages is attained by suitable alloying in the FINEMET glassy precursor. The micromechanism of the effect of nucleating element (Cu) will also be discussed on the basis of the types of quenched-in defects proposed by Egami.

Underground gas storage in Slovakia has 25 years history. The first phase of building, the object for underground reservoir Láb began in 1977. The   underground reservoir is separated to five independent parts, phases of building. All parts are concentrated in central control area. The oldest part of equipment for underground reservoir need overhaul and maintenance today. The maintenance process uncovers a lot of problems, that were created trough building process. The great problems are uncovered in the area of pipeline system diagnostics. In the past,  maintenance operators faced difficult decisions, to choose the best method or combination of methods to evaluate pipeline condition.

Decarburising annealing in the two-phase region is a known method to provide the columnar grain growth in silicon non-oriented electrical steel. This method includes long term pre-heat treatment in vacuum and subsequent decarburising annealing in the wet hydrogen atmosphere [1].This paper describes alternative method to produce the columnar microstructure in the middle silicon non-oriented electrical steel without pre-heat vacuum annealing. The influence of applied annealing temperature  and atmosphere on the development microstructure are studied under the conditions of industrial continuous annealing. Dependence of the final material texture on the aforementioned conditions is presented.

The mixed spin–1/2 and spin–1 Ising model in the presence of an anisotropic crystalline field is treated exactly within the framework of an extended star–triangle mapping transformation. The exact results for the phase diagrams, magnetization, internal energy and specific heat are derived and discussed in detail. The relevant mapping suggests that an isotropic in–plane crystal field (D^x = D^y) leads to the same effects as the hard–axis crystal field (D^z), whereas the in–plane anisotropy(D^x¹ D^y) is responsible also for the randomization of the magnetic ordering (transverse–field like effect).

Magnetic properties of the 1D mixed spin–and spin–S (S >1/2) transverse Ising model in the presence of an external longitudinal magnetic field are calculated exactly by the use of the generalised decoration–iteration mapping transformation. By assuming that only the spin–S atoms do interact with the transverse field the exact results for the Gibbs free energy, longitudinal magnetization, transverse magnetization, entropy and specific heat have been derived and discussed in detail. In addition to the standard temperature variations of the transverse magnetization, another two non–trivial thermal dependences have been found. The results support the concept that the spin reorientation from the longitudinal towards the transverse field direction takes place in the narrow temperature region.

In the article we intend to present some recent achievements in the chemistry and physics of 3d and f electron mixed valence systems based on the Prussian blue in the field of molecular magnetism. Prussian blue is sometimes considered as the first coordination compound and in the paper we would like to demonstrate how it is possible to obtain completely new results based on the old one compound.

The profile of a boundary between circular domains (circular domain wall-CDW) is calculated in the first-order approximation. On the basis of this calculation  critical current I_c  for collapse of CDW was derived. The value of I_c for stress annealed Co_68.2Fe_4.3Si_12.5B₁₅  wire is close to the upper limit of the current interval in which the motion of a single CDW can be measured. The effect of CDW bowing is therefore probably not negligible in these experiments.

We have investigated the influence of aluminium substitution for iron on the magnetic properties of amorphous and nanocrystalline Fe_73.5-xAl_xNb₃Cu₁Si_13.5B₉ alloys (x = 0, 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7 at. %)  and Fe_88-xAl_xZr₇B₅ alloys (x = 0, 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 at. %). The low-temperature thermomagnetic curves are found to obey the Bloch's T^3/2 law, for both series of samples. Aluminium in the amorphous FeZrB alloys enhances the value of magnetization. This enhancement is especially pronounced at room temperature. The spin-wave stiffness constant and the Curie temperature also increases with aluminium content. Such an increase was observed only for low concentration of aluminium (up to 2-3 at. %) in the amorphous FeNbCuSiB samples. The analysis of the relationship between the spin-wave stiffness constant and the Curie temperature indicate that in FeNbCuSiB alloys the direct exchange interaction is confined to the nearest neighbours only, while in FeZrB alloys there is a superexchange between the next-nearest neighbour magnetic atoms. This is one of the reasons, why the noncollinear spin structure exists in FeZrB type metal glasses. The increase of magnetization, Curie temperature and spin-wave stiffness can be understood as a consequence of facilitating the long-range order of spins and suppression of spin frustrations by aluminium.

The correlation function of two protons has been measured in interactions dp and ¹⁶Op at relativistic energies. Experimental data were obtained in full solid angle geometry with beams of light nuclei. Experimental correlation functions have been compared with theoretical calculations where the independent emission of protons from Gaussian shaped source was assumed. The root mean squared radii of the source, which can be compared with known radii of nuclei, have been obtained.

The impact of selected parameters of cosmic ray trajectory computations in model geomagnetic field, namely the length of elementary step, total number of steps and the approach to the shape of Earth body, is examined.

Basic characteristics of energetic particles in space are reviewed: cosmic rays (galactic, solar and anomalous component) as well as magnetospheric particles (radiation belts, ring current). The list of references to particle models is presented. The space weather effects of energetic particles, in particular on airplanes and satellites, are shortly summarized and illustrated from recent month’s failures and increases of radiation dose. The effects on the atmosphere, in particular on its ionization status, and possible relations to climate are summarized according to published papers and information from various web sites. The paper and list of references may be useful for physicists working in other branches of physics as well as for teachers.

This work presents the multiplicity correlations of secondary charged particles produced in interactions of ¹⁶O nuclei with photoemulsion nuclei at energy 3.7 GeV per nucleon. The dependence of the correlations on the centrality of interaction and also on the energy and on the mass number of primary nuclei has been studied. Obtained results have been compared with calculations from cascade – evaporation model.At first the correlation dependences between every two kinds of secondary particles were studied. These dependences can be approximated by a linear function in the statistical limited range of experimental values. The best fits are summarized in a table. The experimental dependence of on N_h has the characteristic behaviour with plateau at 4 8, which consists mainly the collisions of oxygen nuclei ¹⁶O with a light nuclei of photoemulsion (¹²C, ¹⁴N, ¹⁶O), especially with carbon nuclei. The average multiplicity values of slow target fragments depend strongly on the number of recoil protons up to the values N_g 13 with the following saturation at higher N_g. In the experimental dependences of average multiplicities and on N_h it was observed that in a region N_h > 20 the values of < are like the values of , i. e. the fast and the slow target fragments contribute to the production of h – particles by equivalent rate, but the contribution of fast target fragments (g – particles) predominates at upper numbers of N_h. Also the correlation between the average multiplicity values and the summary charge Q of the noninteracting fragments of primary nucleus has been investigated. Used model describes the studied characteristics of secondary particles qualitatively.

In this work the multiplicities and the angular distributions of secondary charged particles produced in interactions of oxygen nuclei ¹⁶O with photoemulsion nuclei at energy 3.7 GeV per nucleon are presented. The dependence of the multiplicities and the angular distributions on the centrality of interaction and also on the energy and on the mass numbers of primary nuclei has been studied. Obtained results have been compared with calculations from cascade – evaporation model.The average multiplicity of relativistic particles increases rapidly with the mass number of the projectile nucleus A_p. The multiplicity of fast target fragments also increases with the mass number of primary nuclei A_p, while the multiplicity of slow target nucleus fragments is independent on A_p. There are three local maxima observed in the distribution of the multiplicities of target fragments (h – particles) reflecting the size of the target nuclei in photoemulsion the nuclei ¹⁶O interacted with. The correlation between the N_h and the summary charge Q of the noninteracting fragments of primary nucleus has been also investigated. The dependence of angular distribution parameters on the centrality of interaction has been analysed. The average values of slow target nucleus fragments (b –  particles) and fast target fragments (g – particles) depend very weakly on the centrality degree, but the angular spectra of relativistic particles depends strongly as on desintegration of the nuclei so on the centrality degree too. The used model describes the studied characteristics of secondary particles well. There are some disagreements in the angular distributions of target fragments. This statement can be connected with collective behaviour of nucleus – nucleus interactions.

The measurements of proton and electron fluxes >20 keV by DOK2 spectrometer in plasma sheet region during December, 3 1996 small  substorm growth phase are presented. The Interball-1 satellite crossed in this time interval the central part of geomagnetic tail at radial distance ~25 Re which is very close to substorm neutral line position. The proton fluxes and its anisotropy are modulated by the magnetic field . They have bipolar character (first tailward, then earthward) and a few second lasting spikes of protons in earthward direction are accompanied with quick change of their spectra and increase of electron fluxes. When B_z >0 the proton fluxes in earthward direction predominate. In the time with B_z <0 we observe the proton fluxes in tail direction. This is in a good agreement with measurements of bipolar fluxes on Geotail reported by Petrukovich et al. [8]. We suppose that origin of these bipolar proton fluxes  is in reconnection of geomagnetic field lines during the time of growth phase of  geomagnetic substorm.

The article is a short overview over the history and the present status of transuranium and superheavy element research, but there are presented here also not yet published data and  results of experiments. As an introduction the first physical assumptions and proposals and the first attempts to create nuclei beyond uranium are presented. The  neutron capture and consequent beta-decays,  used at Berkeley to build  transuranium elements up to Z =101, is the content of the second part. The series of asymmetric hot fusion reaction of uranium and transuranium nuclei with light ions led to new tranuranium elements of Z = 102 –106. Further progress was enabled with more symmetric cold fusion reactions of Pb and Bi targets with heavy ions. At present the last element, synthesized in this way has  an atomic number of Z = 112. The production cross-section of Z =112 is below one pb. This value at present poses  as an experimental limit for reasonable duration of a fusion experiment. The decay chain of a detected  Z = 112 nucleus is used to explain the correlation method of single superheavy nucleus identification. Further progress was made with hot fusion type reactions of tranuranium targets bombarded with double magic ⁴⁸Ca  accelerated ions. Few a-decay chains of elements of Z = 114, 116 and 118 were  observed, but the experimental results have to be confirmed in an independent way. The last part of the article is devoted to a short presentation of  theoretical models, trying to describe the properties of the heaviest nuclei and  the process of their synthesis at the fusion of  two nuclei in a nuclear reaction.  At the end  of the article the open questions of the physics of superheavy elements are presented:  Which  is the maximum possible number of protons and neutrons in an atomic nucleus? Which  number of protons creates the next closed shell?  How large will be the stability enhancement at a double magic superheavy nucleus? How long can leave the most stable superheavy nucleus? The possibility to answer these questions is considered at the end of the article.

Scaled factorial moment analysis for the relativistic particles produced in Au+Em interactions at 11.6 A GeV/c  has been done. An evidence for the presence of intermittent behaviour has been shown using three methods of analysis -  horizontal, vertical and mixed factorial moment methods. The fluctuations of relativistic particles have been studied on  events with different degree of centrality. The results of horizontal factorial moment analysis  have been compared with the values obtained for the other experimental data.