Information on the low-lying levels up to ∼1.9 MeV excitation of the doubly odd nucleus⁵⁰V has been obtained through the Ge (Li)-Ge (Li) coincidence study with the⁵⁰Ti(p, nγ)⁵⁰V reaction. Branching ratios have been measured and tentative spin-parity assignments have been made. A detailed comparison with other measurements reported recently has also been made. Using the lowest seniority wave functions with (f_7/2)_p³ (f_7/2)_n⁻¹ configuration, energy levels and electromagnetic properties have been calculated. These have been compared with the present and earlier experimental data.

The Blodgett-Langmuir technique is used to deposit multilayer films of barium stearate on EDF glass. The thickness of the film varies in steps of 10 monolayers, and the thickness of each monolayer is about 25 Å. When viewed in white light at near normal incidence vivid interference colours are seen in reflection, with good contrast between adjacent steps. The reliability of the step gauge is tested for dielectric films of MgF₂.

High resolution gamma-ray spectra have been measured from the²⁷Al (p,γ)²⁸Si reaction for the resonances atE_p=2·482, 2·511 and 2·735 MeV at ϑ_pγ=0°, 30°, 55° and 90° using a Ge (Li) gamma spectrometer. From the spectra and the angular distributions the properties of the resonance states have been obtained. These states are the isobaric analogues of the levels at 4·69, 4·75 and 4·93MeV levels respectively in the parent nucleus A²⁸l.

The infrared absorption spectra of 2,3- and 3,5-dichloroanilines have been recorded in the region 250–4000 cm⁻¹. The spectra of the latter are recorded in solid phase (KBr and Nujol mull) and in CS₂/CCl₄ and CHCl₃ solutions while that of the former in thin film only. The spectra have been analysed assuming C₃ and C_2v point group symmetry respectively and a tentative assignment of the observed bands to different fundamental modes has been made.

The optical reaction cross-sections forn, p,²H,³He,³He and⁴He for several global optical potentials available in the literature have been parametrized in terms of simple empirical expressions which are smooth functions of the target mass number and the projectile energy. The empirical forms are 5–10% accurate over the periodic table and energy-range upto 50 MeV. They can be conveniently used in calculations where the optical reaction cross-sections are required as input. The calculation of proton spectra in the (n, p) reaction at 14 MeV is discussed.

The results of electrical conductivity measurements in heavily doped RbCl:CoCl₂ crystals with 2500 and 6000 ppm of cobalt are being reported in this paper. The different regions of the conductivity plots for the crystals with the two concentrations of cobalt have been explained and relevant energy parameters determined. The crystals with 6000 ppm of cobalt have been found to contain two types of precipitates one of these being of the same type as that existing in RbCl crystals with 2500 ppm of cobalt while the other being of a different composition.

Further, it has been found that the crystals appear blackened after heating during measurements. The blackening has been attributed to the expulsion of cobalt from the bulk of the crystal which forms an oxide at the surface.

Electrical conductivity studies in NaNO₂ single crystals with inherent impurities and also in crystals with added Mn²⁺ impurities have been reported. The heating conductivity runs of undoped and doped NaNO₂ crystals have been compared. The decrease in conductivity in cooling following a heating run has been attributed to the oxidation during heating leading to the bulk precipitation of impurities in the host. Above 170°C however the intrinsic defects are responsible for conduction. An anomaly is noticed in both the heating and cooling conductivity runs of the sample at about the Curie temperatures and has been found to show thermal hysteresis.

Angular distribution for the elastic scattering of 36 MeV alpha particles from gold target has been measured fromϑ ∼ 10–56°. The cross-section data have been analyzed in terms of the optical model. The real part of the optical model potential (V_R) has been deduced by two prescriptions: (i) combining the volume integral, the radius at whichV_R=2.4 MeV and the slope at this radius (1/V_R) (dV_R/dr) (ii) combining the volume integral, the root mean square radius and the equivalent sharp radius systematics. The imaginary potential depth has been searched to fit the data. The prediction using (i) for the real potential fits the data the best.

The total cross-section for the reaction⁵¹V(p, n)⁵¹Cr has been measured fromE_p 1.9 to 4.5 MeV by using two different techniques: (i) by detecting the neutron using the 4π neutron counter and (ii) by measuring the activity of the residual nucleus⁵¹Cr. The two measurements are consistent with each other and together they are in good agreement with the data of Zyskindet al. The thermonuclear reaction rates have also been extracted starting from these cross-sections.

The PHENIX experiment consists of a large detector system located at the newly commissioned relativistic heavy ion collider (RHIC) at the Brookhaven National Laboratory. The primary goal of the PHENIX experiment is to look for signatures of the QCD prediction of a deconfined high-energy-density phase of nuclear matter quark gluon plasma. PHENIX started data taking for Au+Au collisions at √sNN=130 GeV in June 2000. The signals from the beam-beam counter (BBC) and zero degree calorimeter (ZDC) are used to determine the centrality of the collision. A Glauber model reproduces the ZDC spectrum reasonably well to determine the participants in a collision. Charged particle multiplicity distribution from the first PHENIX paper is compared with the other RHIC experiment and the CERN, SPS results. Transverse momentum of photons are measured in the electro-magnetic calorimeter (EMCal) and preliminary results are presented. Particle identification is made by a time of flight (TOF) detector and the results show clear separation of the charged hadrons from each other.

The layered manganite Nd_2−2xSr_1+2xMn₂O₇, with x varying between 0 and 0.5, has been synthesized using solid-state reaction method. We have found that Nd_2−2xSr_1+2xMn₂O₇ do not form the single-phase layered compound with A₃B₂O₇ structure. Instead, mixtures of various phases, such as, orthorhombic perovskite, i.e., Nd_1−zSr_zMnO₃, layered manganite and unreacted starting compounds, have been obtained. Except for x=0.4, which is found to be an antiferromagnetic insulator, all other x values yielded metal-insulator transition and ferromagnetic ordering.

The folded tandem ion accelerator (FOTIA) facility set up at BARC has become operational. At present, it is used for elemental analysis studies using the Rutherford backscattering technique. The beams of¹H, ⁷Li, ¹²C, ¹⁶O and ¹⁹F have been accelerated up to terminal voltages of about 3 MV and are available for experiments. The terminal voltage is stable within ±2 kV. In this paper, present status of the FOTIA and future plans are discussed.