• Elementary Particle Physics. Theory.
• Elementary Particle Physics. Experiment.
• Atomic Nucleus Physics.
• Neutrino astrophysics. Cosmic ray physics.
• Accelerators of charged particles.
• Applied studies.
• INR RAS prize-winners of 2001.

A class of supersymmetric extentions of the Standard Model is under consideration where new particles - sgoldstinos - are light and interact with the known particles with parity conservation.
Scalar and pseudoscalar sgoldstinos were shown to be found in kaon decays with participation of one or two pions respectively.
In the latter case supersymmetry violation can become apparent at the energy of about 100 TeV.
For the first time data analysis of the NOMAD experiment (CERN) gave a restriction on mixing of tau- and sterile neutrinos.
We are the first to construct a classical theory of spherically symmetric shells made of the particles with non-zero angular momentum which is of fundamental importance for describing quantum black holes.
We pioneered in deriving the coupling constant of quantum chromodynamics in the 4^th order of the perturbation theory from the data for structural function of deep inelastic neutrino-nucleon scattering obtained in FERMILAB, USA.
New particles like axions are supposed to be superhigh energy cosmic ray primaries.
The hypothesis is in good agreement with the whole collection of the existing experimental data and provides an excellent opportunity to be checked in the further experiments on investigation of superhigh energy wide atmospheric showers. It has been shown that the existence of new particles with the required properties is a natural consequence of some supersymmetric models.

The "Troitsk-nu-mass" setup designed to search for electronic antineutrino mass in tritium beta-spectrum has been modernized.
This provided its higher sensitivity and stability and lowered systematic errors.
Of primary importance is modernization for studying the nature of anomalous structure in beta-spectrum which was observed at this setup for the first time.
On the basis of the original circuit and the results obtained at the "Troitsk-nu-mass" setup a new project of the international setup "KATRIN" (Germany) is under way now.
It is supposed to be much more grandious and thus to help to drastically lower the neutrino mass determination threshold.

Modernization of detecting electronic modules has been carried out at the ISTRA setup which operates on the U-70 accelerator beam in Protvino and is aimed to study elementary particles rare decays.
As a result a record speed of data collection was achieved which made it possible, for example, to select 125 thousand events of the K_3e decay and to get the new restrictions on the value of tensor and scalar form-factors (INR RAS, IHEP).

A data analysis has been made of the runs of 2000 on measurements of the p-A interaction at 400 GeV/s with nuclei of Be, Al, Cu, Ag, W and Pb in experiment NA50 at accelerator SPS in CERN.
In comparison with the results received at other beam energies and for different systems "target-incident particle": p-A, pion-A, O-Cu, O-U, S-U, Pb-Pb a linear dependence of transverse pulse squared and effective temperature on the energy in the center-of-mass system has been found.
It is of great importance for searching for any indication to quark-gluon plasma production in central collisions of high-energy heavy nuclei (INR RAS).

In the framework of the DELTA-SIGMA experiment on the polarized neutrons beam of the JINR synchrophasotron (Dubna) new data have been obtained on spin-dependent differences of total neutron-proton cross-sections at four energies of neutrons within the range 1.2-3.7 GeV which is unavailable for other accelerators.
The data combined with those received in the previous runs allow us to make the final conclusion of smooth falling of the value of the given cross-section with the energy more than 1.1 GeV (INR RAS, JINR).
On the polarized monochromatic protons beam in the GRAAL experiment (Grenobl, France) high-precision measurements were taken of asymmetry and photoproduction of neutral and charged pions as well as eta-mesons from the threshold up to 1500 MeV.
The results obtained were used to examine dynamical structure of a nucleon ( baryon resonances) in the frame of phenomenological and quark models.

Investigations of the natural neutrino flux at the Baikal Deep Underwater Neutrino Telescope moved to the region of super-high energies.
In the run of 1998 the limit on the intensivity of the natural diffuse flux of electron neutrinos in the energy interval from 10 TeV up to 10^4 TeV was found to be not greater than (1.3 - 1.9)*10^{-6} GeV/cm^2*s and intruded into the region of the theoretically predicted values.
At the many-ton Gallium-Germanium Neutrino Telescope in the deep underground laboratory of the Baksan Neutrino Observatory unique experiments on measurements of the integral solar neutrino flux are under way. Monthly measurements showed more considerable suppression of the solar neutrino flux reaching the Earth compared to that predicted by the Standard Solar Model.
The results obtained are sure to indicate the existence of new properties of neutrino-neutrino oscillations.

At the KOVYOR installation of the Baksan Neutrino Observatory an influence of the atmosphere electric field during thunderstorms on the intensity of secondary cosmic rays has been studied.
The installation was the first to experimentally detect the so called muon and electron mechanisms of the impact of the thunderstorm clouds' field on the particles count rate.
It was also found that just before lightning acceleration of particles occurs which is likely to play an important role in forming the lightning.

On the basis of the data obtained at the ANDYRCHI installation in the period of 1996-2000 (pure observation time is 1055,6 days) a search for gamma-splashes with gamma-quanta energy more than 10 GeV and duration up to 1 sec in the band of declinations 10-70 degrees has been carried out.
For gamma-splashes with an energy flux more than 5.6*10^{-3}erg/cm^2 the most severe world restriction on their appearance frequency (at a 90% confidence level) has been obtained.
It turned out to be equal to 2.5*10^{-8} sec^{-1}.

In 2001 the weight of the world's biggest Russian-Italian scintillation detector LVD in Gran-Sasso was enlarged by 90 tons, therefore its active mass now is 1100 tons.
LDV has been working in the mode of searching for neutrino emission coming from collapsing stars in the Galaxy and Magellan clouds for 9 years.
The upper limit of gravitational collapses frequency in these galaxies at the 90% confidence level is 0.3 events a year.

In 2001 the Moscow Meson Factory Linac (MMFL) provided seven accelerator shifts, totally 2384 beam hours for physical experiments and isotope production for medicine.
The maximum beam energy was limited to 266 MeV for economical reasons.
The maximum average beam current was equal to 150 microA and total beam losses were less than 0.1%. The integral intensity for 12 hours was about 1000 microA*hour.
On the basis of personal computers a unique system was arranged comprising the accelerator, experimental area and therapeutic complex.
The upgraded MMFL automatic control system has been put into operation.

Due to unique home technology with the usage of carbon composite materials a production is under way of the precision mechanic construction of the face electromagnetic calorimeter of the CMS setup in CERN (INR RAS, IHEP).
A new Penning gaseous mixture has been compounded to fill the multi-section high-pressure proportional counter, which is used in the experiments on search for hypothetical weakly interacting massive particles (WIMP), CF4 being the basic gas in the mixture.
A small amount of Xenon added to this gas makes the operational voltage two times lower, improves the energy resolution and increases the ultimate gaseous amplification gain dozens of times.

A mechanism of proportional discharge in various gases has been studied in detail.
It was shown that for mixtures of noble gases with those of smaller ionization potential, besides primary avalanches there are secondary ones caused by both metastable and non-metastable Penning effects.
After the primary avalanches the secondary ones produce (1-10)*10 mcsec "tails" and their total charge is equal or even more than that of the primary avalanches.
Being aware of this mechanism one should take it into account when constructing powerful laser facilities, high-voltage equipment and elementary particles track detectors.

Examination of radioactive and protective properties of television tube glass opened up the prospects to solve two serious ecological problems: how to bury long-lived radionuclides and utilize tens of millions of waste television tubes.
This can be done by procession of TV tube glass into building materials and combined vitrification of its breakage and radioactive waste.
Simple methods have been elaborated to calculate dose accumulation for composite materials.
Samples of new protective materials designed in a such way as to decrease the weight and linear dimensions of the shield have been tested.

1. International Pontekorvo Prize: "For outstanding achievements in neutrino astrophysics":
   • Gavrin Vladimir Nikolaevich
   • Zatsepin Georgii Timofeevich
2. Title "Honored Citizen of the town of Troitsk":
   • Tavkhelidze Albert Nikiforovich
3. RAS medal with a bonus for students:
   • Sibiryakov Sergei Mikhailovich (at present he is a post-graduate student and a 0.5 engineer of the Theoretical Physics Department