MAIK/NAUKA commended by this award a series of papers by D.A.Varshalovich, A.Yu.Potekhin, V.E.Panchuk, and A.V.Ivanchik published in our journal in 1994-1996 and devoted to spectral analysis of distant quasars and other extragalactic objects. Spectra of these objects were formed at the epoch corresponding to redshifts z=0.2-3.7 (3-14 billions years ago). The authors got strong constraints for possible cosmological variations of fundamental physical constants (the fine-structure constant, neutron and proton masses with respect to the electron mass, etc) and then used them as selection criteria for multi-dimensional theoretical models of the Universe cosmological evolution.

1. Varshalovich, D.A., Potekhin, A.Yu. "Testing the fine-structure constant for a possible cosmological variation from analysis of quasar spectra", Pis'ma v Astronomicheskii Zhurnal, 1994, v.20, pp.883-889 (Astronomy Letters, 1994, v.20, pp.771-777)

2. Varshalovich, D.A., Potekhin, A.Yu. "Have the masses of molecules changed during the lifetime of the Universe ?", Pis'ma v Astronomicheskii Zhurnal, 1996, v.22, pp.3-7 (Astronomy Letters, 1996, v.22, pp.1-5)

3. Varshalovich, D.A., Panchuk, V.E., Ivanchik, A.V. "Absorption systems in the spectra of the quasars HS 1946+76, S5 0014+81, S4 0636+68: New bounds on cosmological change in the fine-structure constant", Pis'ma v Astronomicheskii Zhurnal, 1996, v.22, pp.8-16 (Astronomy Letters, 1996, v.22, pp.6-13)

Annual competitions for the best publication are held by MAIK/NAUKA since 1995 and involve more than 70 scientific journals. There are 5 first (main) and 50 second (small) awards.
May 28, 1997