A scientific session of the Physical Sciences Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) was held in the Conference Hall of the Lebedev Physics Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, on 29 March 2006. The following reports were presented at the session: (1) Bunkin A F, Nurmatov A A, Pershin S M (Wave Research Center at the Prokhorov General Physics Institute, RAS, Moscow) "Coherent four-photon spectroscopy of low- frequency molecular librations in a liquid"; (2) Simonenko V A (Russian Federal Nuclear Center — Zababakhin All-Russia Scientific Research Institute of Technical Physics, Snezhinsk, Chelyabinsk region) "Nuclear explosions as a probing tool for high-intensity processes and extreme states of matter: some applications of results"; (3) Buchelnikov V D, Taskaev S V (Chelyabinsk State University), Vasiliev A N (Lomonosov Moscow State University), Koledov V V, Khovaylo V V, Shavrov V G (Institute of Radioengineering and Electronics, RAS, Moscow) "Magnetic shape-memory alloys: phase transitions and functional properties." A brief presentation of the reports is given below. • Coherent four-photon spectroscopy of low-frequency molecular librations in a liquid, A F Bunkin, A A Nurmatov, S M Pershin Physics-Uspekhi, 2006, Volume 49, Number 8, Pages 855–861 • Nuclear explosions as a probing tool for high-intensity processes and extreme states of matter: some applications of results , V A Simonenko Physics-Uspekhi, 2006, Volume 49, Number 8, Pages 861–871 • Magnetic shape-memory alloys: phase transitions and functional properties, V D Buchel'nikov, A N Vasiliev, V V Koledov, S V Taskaev, V V Khovaylo, V G Shavrov Physics-Uspekhi, 2006, Volume 49, Number 8, Pages 871–877