Table of contents

A review is given of the current state of research on fullerenes, which are molecules containing 60, 70, 76, 84, etc. carbon atoms arranged on the surface of a sphere or of a spheroid. The structure of fullerenes, the methods for their production, the processes involving them, and the formation of fullerenes in natural gaseous systems are discussed. An analysis is made of the properties of nanotubes and of the methods for generating them. Other carbon compounds resembling fullerenes are considered. The results of the investigations of the behaviour of fullerenes in solutions are given and discussed. The properties of fullerites, which are carbon crystals consisting of fullerenes, and of their compounds are reviewed.

This survey is devoted to experimental and theoretical results on interaction and self-action processes of strongly distorted waves containing shock fronts. Such sawtooth-shaped disturbances can be formed during the propagation of the wave through media where the nonlinearity predominates over competitive factors like dispersion, diffraction, and absorption. The specificity of nonlinear processes for sawtooth-shaped waves is particularly emphasised. The recently observed phenomena such as self-action of beams, self-refraction of shock pulses and saturation of the signal in focus, as well as current applied problems, are described.

Theoretical and experimental fundamentals of the phenomenon of optical self-switching of unidirectional distributively coupled waves are presented. This waves represent a whole class of waves in optics: waves in tunnel-coupled optical waveguides, waves undergoing the Bragg diffraction, waves with different polarisations in an anisotropic (birefringent) waveguide or crystal, waves with different frequencies in a quadratically nonlinear medium, etc.

The Hawking effect is studied on the basis of the sudden gravitational collapse model. Virtual particle–antiparticle pairs are shown to be pulled apart by the tidal forces of the black hole, in full accord with the current viewpoint.

The spin magnetic moment of an electron moving in an homogeneous magnetic field is a source of electromagnetic radiation. This radiation (spin light) shows up at high energies and it is available for measurements in contemporary electron accelerators. The spin light identification problem is considered when the spin radiation proceeds against the background of powerful synchrotron radiation, recoil effects, and other relativistic phenomena. A relativistic neutron is considered to be a source of pure spin radiation. The correspondence principle is formulated for spin radiation with and without the spin flip.

A graphic method demonstraiting formation and behaviour of fractal structures produced by interaction of metallic powder with the magnetic field of a coil is presented. The method is useful for investigating fractal structures by students.