Vol 86, No 6 (2016)

In the epoch of information technologies, tunneling phenomena have become an important area of solid-state physics. The specifics of electron dynamics in crystals along with the extreme sensitivity of the possibility of tunneling to the parameters of both the particle itself and the barrier significantly differentiate interband tunneling from the standard picture of passage through a potential barrier. Soon after the creation of lasers, it became clear that the tunneling effect was also the determinative mechanism of interaction between powerful electromagnetic radiation and atoms, molecules, and solid bodies. The unifying effect for these two seemingly different groups of phenomena is their critical dependence on the temporal dynamics of the tunneling process. This report tells the history of the development of these concepts and their use to describe the dependence of the parameters of the interband tunnel effect on the structure of the electron spectrum of a crystal, the critical role of interaction between electrons and phonons, and the influence of the tunnel effect on the optical absorption spectra of crystals. It is also shown how the processes of multiphoton absorption gradually transform into the tunnel effect as the intensity or frequency of an alternating external field changes.

The outlook for global energy by the mid-21st century will largely depend on nontraditional energy sources, the role of which is growing rapidly already today. Colossal investments in the development of renewable energy sources (RESs) over the past 25–30 years have favored a technological leap, which has reduced the cost of energy by orders of magnitude. Some RESs approached traditional hydrocarbon energy by their economic indicators. The correct economic evaluation of prospects for RES development is a topical scientific and practical problem. Its solution will help, on the one hand, understand and measure the scale and depth of the effects of renewable energy sources on global and domestic energy and, on the other, evaluate the opportunities and prospects for the Russian Federation. The authors of this article analyze trends in RES development in global and domestic practice and recommend improvements to Russian policy in this sphere.

The necessity to transfer from the paper-based Dialectological Atlas of the Russian Language, published 30 years ago, to an electronic database is substantiated. This would make the information contained in the atlas available to a large number of users and ensure on-the-fly information retrieval, isogloss plotting, and finding dialects with a specified set of properties. It would also be possible to use state-of-the-art analytical tools for dialectological data, including mathematical methods, particularly cluster algorithms and multidimensional scaling, widely used in dialectometric studies in the West.

In the vertical columns (groups) of the Periodic Table of the Elements (Mendeleev), the properties of not only the elements themselves but also their compounds change regularly. Comparative analysis of the spectral and chemical characteristics of the parent derivatives of carbon (alkanes) and silicon (silanes) and their behavior under extreme conditions is presented. Opportunities for practical applications of oligosilanes are shown. The increase in interest in this topic among nonprofessionals can, for one, be explained by the fact that saturated hydrocarbons (alkanes) constitute the main part of natural associated gas and oil, while silicon hydrides (silanes) underlie the production of microelectronic and solar energy goods.

This review presents materials of the Scientific Session “The Time of Karamzin (On the 250th Anniversary of the Birth of N.M. Karamzin, Writer, Historian, and Reformer of the Russian Language),” which was held on March 21, 2016, within a general meeting of the RAS Division of Historical and Philological Sciences. The participants were famous scholars in the humanities, who clarified various aspects of the phenomenon of Karamzin. The presenters showed the central place of Karamzin in the development of Russian national self-awareness not only in the early 19th century but also in the subsequent periods of history. The review of various aspects of Karamzin’s legacy—his literary activity, work on reforming the Russian language, and, of course, his selfless labor on the preparation of History of the Russian State—allows us to speak about him as an outstanding and exceptionally modern figure of the Russian Renaissance, who predetermined the spiritual quest of Russia for years to come.

The author addresses the problem of cross investment as a structural framework of Russian–Indian relations. Mutual investments are considered as a strategic (long-term) factor that activates all subsystems of bilateral relations, including external economic relations, the coordination of foreign-policy lines, and so on. Special attention is drawn to the role of large joint transport projects, which make it possible to intensify investment counterflows and widen the geography of external economic ties. Latent reserves of Russian–Indian trade-economic and scientific-technological (commercialization of intellectual activity) exchanges are identified. Russian–Indian investment relations in the region–region format are considered as the main multiplier of bilateral external economic ties. The passionarity-related function of Russia’s eastern regions in the stimulation of Russian–Indian cooperation ties is emphasized, and a preliminary estimation of the investment potential of Russian regions, including Sevastopol and the Crimea, is proposed. The political history of both countries is interpreted as a necessary element of the juncture of cross investments and joint implementation of the “development agenda” by Russia and India.

An attempt is made to assess critically the concept of the creation of the Stabilization (Oil and Gas) Fund in the conditions of Russia of the mid-2000s. As a backup (insurance) tool, the author holds, the fund is ineffective in solving its key tasks—to support budget balance and to restrain inflation. The artificial withdrawal of a substantial part of the oil and gas rent from the budget comes into sharp conflict with the goals of development. The conclusion is made that the creation of the fund for subsequent use of the accumulated means primarily as a “safety cushion” was, to all appearances, a strategic blunder.

The reasons for the creation of institutes that functioned as information and analysis centers within the structure of the USSR Academy of Sciences and their role in the formation of the country’s foreign, including foreign economic, policy are analyzed. The author relies on the recollections of those who organized the expert support of decisions that were made at the supreme state level and by establishments of the USSR and then Russian Academy of Sciences.

Each nation living in Kazakhstan has its own history of resettlement to the Kazakh steppes. Germans are no exception. In the last quarter of the 19th century, they started to relocate from the Volga region to Akmola and Semipalatinsk oblasts of the Governor-Generalship of the Steppes, Syr Dar’ya oblast of the Turkestan Governor-Generalship, and Turgai and Ural oblasts of the Russian Empire, i.e., preferentially to the north of Kazakhstan, where they founded a host of settlements. The settlers managed to organize their economy and everyday life, strictly followed national traditions, and preserved their religion and culture. The authors investigate the causes of German resettlement to Kazakhstan, the places where they settled, their sociocultural and living conditions, and economic activities.