The low energy effective scalar potential arising from the supergravity model proposed by Nilles, Srednicki and Wyler is minimized exactly. Bounds are derived for the parameters of the theory from the requirement that SU(2) × U(1) be broken at the tree level. These results support earlier approximate results.

It is shown that SU(2)×U(1) can be broken at the tree level, without the occurrence of global potential minima that break U(1)_e.m., in supergravity models that are more general than those proposed by Nilles, Srednicki and Wyler. The study comprises an analysis of models with a general soft supersymmetry-breaking structure as well as those of the Hall-Lykken-Weinberg type.

The compactification of 10-dimensional supergravity, coupled to super Yang-Mills theory, to curved 4-dimensional spacetimes is investigated. The requirement of unbroken supersymmetry leads to a set of consistency conditions. These are fairly restrictive, but nevertheless permit some nontrivial solutions, including the Milne universe. More general time-dependent metrics are also not ruled out.

The dynamics of a string near a Kaluza-Klein black hole are studied. Solutions to the geodesic equations are obtained using the world sheet velocity of light as an expansion parameter. For a string falling into a magnetically charged black hole, it is shown that the compact dimension decreases with the world-sheet coordinate τ.

Fusion cross-sections for the ⁷Li + ¹²C reaction have been measured at energies above the Coulomb barrier by the direct detection of evaporation residues. The heavy evaporation residues with energies below 3 MeV could not be separated out from the α-particles in the spectrum and hence their contribution was estimated using statistical model calculations. The present work indicates that suppression of fusion cross-sections due to the breakup of ⁷Li may not be significant for ⁷Li + ¹²C reaction at energies around the barrier.