The main goal of the HyperNIS experiment is the search for the lightest neutron-rich hypernuclei, in particular, $$_{{\Lambda }}^{{\text{6}}}{\text{H}}$$ and the poorly studied $$_{{\Lambda }}^{{\text{6}}}{\text{He}}{\text{,}}$$ and to measure the lifetimes and production cross sections of these hypernuclei. In order to measure the masses of the hypernuclei, it is necessary to determine the momenta of their decay products, including pions. The time-of-flight (TOF) method is planned to be used to measure the pion momenta. Simulation results show that this method provides sufficient accuracy for recovering the masses of the hypernuclei. The structure of the TOF system detectors and the results of the study of their characteristics are presented.

The trigger system of the HyperNIS spectrometer, which was proposed for distinguishing events with the formation and subsequent decay of relativistic hyperfragments, is described. The operation of the system is based on detecting the charges of the hyperfragment and the product nucleus in two-particle π–-meson decay. The events are selected using scintillation and Cherenkov counters. This article presents the results of a methodological work on updating the equipment and software of the experiment, describes the characteristics of trigger detectors, and discusses the specificities of using the trigger system in the planned experiment on the search for the $${}_{{\Lambda }}^{6}{\text{H}}$$ hypernucleus. The expected efficiency and noise immunity of the event selection system are estimated.

A spectrometer is created to study relativistic hypernuclei produced with beams of accelerated nuclei from the Nuclotron facility (Dubna, JINR). Test runs have been carried out and the conclusion is drawn that the properties of the facility meet the requirements of the task of searching for unknown and studying poorly known neutron-rich hypernuclei.

At the Laboratory of High Energies (JINR, Dubna) a unique approach was elaborated with hypernuclei produced by the excitation of the beam nuclei and their decays observed at a distance of tens of cm behind the production target. While the very first experiments were carried out in the Synchrophasotron beams, more extensive hypernuclei research programme is planned for the Nuclotron accelerator and the new spectrometer created by the authors. At the time of the conference the first test run in the Nuclotron beam was in progress. Investigation of hydrogen hypernuclei isotopes is in the first line of the experimental research plans. Namely, lifetimes and production cross sections of Λ 4 H and Λ 3 H will be measured. Search for Λ 6 H is also among the tasks.

The main goals of the Nucleon Intrinsic Strangeness experiment (NIS) are the search for the effects of hidden polarized strangeness in the nucleon and the exploration and study of exotic baryons (pentaquarks) in NN reactions. The setup is located in the Laboratory of High Energies at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in channel 4V of the Nuclotron extracted beam with the energy between 1 and 4 GeV. The 1SP-40-4V electromagnet of the spectrometer has the external dimensions 3.20 × 3.26 × 4.48 m and the aperture 2.74 × 0.68 m. The magnetic field measurement was performed using the three-component Hall magnetometer in the computer-controlled automated mode. The volume of measurements was 1.03 × 0.60 × 3.92 m. The description of the measuring equipment and measurement procedure is given. The results of the measurements are used for the Monte Carlo computer modeling of the experiment. These results will be used in the analysis of physical data after their acquisition.

The Institute for Biomedical Problems in collaboration with the Laboratory of High Energies, JINR, has been carrying out biological experiments to solve problems of the radiation safety during long-term manned space flights. For this purpose investigations of the influence of accelerated charged particles, which are similar to different components of the space radiation, are carried out with laboratory animals, and model biological experiments are going as well. It required to improve the Synchrophasotron beam transportation and diagnostic equipment for proper exposure of biological objects and dose measurements. The new system has allowed one to obtain the required experimental conditions and data on intensity, contamination and spatial characteristics of beams extracted from the accelerator. The results of the performed research have been used to estimate the space radiation hazard, as well as for drawing up the State Normative Documents (GOST) for radiation safety of the manned space flights.

The GIBS spectrometer is an experimental setup with a 2-m streamer chamber placed in a magnetic field as the main detector. The chamber provides for the detection of charged particles emitted from the internal target into the complete solid angle (4 pi geometry). The setup is used to study rare processes in a wide range of secondary-particle multiplicities.The spectrometer is described briefly, and its characteristics and the main methodological results concerned with the quality of experimental data are presented.

Using a new method of data processing in the investigation of interference correlations of identical particles, a direct proof of nonstationarity of the π− production volume in central MgMg collisions at a beam momentum of pIab = 4.4 GeV/c per nucleon was obtained. The velocity of a source of correlated π− meson pairs is introduced as a free parameter in the Lorentz transformed approximation formula of the interference peak. This velocity increases with increasing the velocity of a subset of π− mesons which are chosen for the interference analysis. The source velocity is the new experimentally measurable physical variable of interference analysis, apart from space-time sizes of the source.

The charge exchange reaction (t,3He) on carbon and magnesium targets is investigated in experiments using a streamer chamber. The experimental pion longitudinal momentum spectrum is compared with the calculated one for events with a single secondary pion. From this comparison it follows that the contribution from quasi-free Δ− excitation in the target nucleus in a single pion channel is only 60–70%. The momentum of the pions in the remaining fraction of events is significantly higher than that of the pions produced in delta de-excitation. The contribution from several possible processes is analyzed. The data indicate a significant role of coherent pion production via N(1440) or/and N(1520) in the target nucleus while part of the pion spectrum can be explained by projectile excitation.

Hypernuclei have been investigated (production and decays) in the Dubna synchrophasotron beams. However, the experiments were interrupted due to a low data collection rate. The beams of the new accelerator Nuclotron allow one to increase the available statistics by a factor of 100 or more. Therefore hypernuclear lifetimes can be measured within 2 % errors significantly exceeding the results of the previous experiments. The study of Λ3H properties is discussed. It is possible to make an attempt to investigate the Coulomb dissociation of the hypernucleus.

All results on the production cross sections of the lightest hypernuclei and the life-times of the hydrogen hypernuclei obtained in Dubna streamer chamber experiments are presented.

Measurements have been made of the momentum and angular distributions of LAMBDA-particles in central Mg + Mg collisions. The angular distributions of the LAMBDA-particles in the center-of-mass system of the colliding nucleons is not isotropic. The kinematic properties of the pi--mesons in events with cumulative LAMBDA-particles are the same as in ordinary central collisions. The angular distributions of the pi--mesons in the center-of-mass system are not isotropic. Events with two detected decays of LAMBDA-particles were investigated.