Società italiana di fisica

Theo W. Hänsch

"This volume can be justified by the following three facts, the need to provide, from time to time, a co-ordinated set of lectures which present the relevant progress in Metrology, the increasing intertwining between Fundamental Physics and the practice of Metrological Measurements, and, third, the flurry of new and unexpected discoveries in this field, with a correlated series of Nobel Prizes bestowed to individuals working in Fundamental Constants research and novel experimental methods. One of the most fascinating and exciting characteristics of metrology is its intimate relationship between fundamental physics and the leading edge of technology which is needed to perform advanced and challenging experiments and measurements, as well as the determination of the values and interrelations between the Fundamental Constants. In some cases, such as the caesium fountains clocks or the optical frequency standards, the definition of the value of a quantity is, in the laboratory, in the region of 10-16 and experiments are under way to reach 10-18. Many of these results and the avenues leading to further advances are discussed in this volume, along a major step in metrology, expected in the near future, which could change the old definition of the kilogram, still based on a mechanical artefact, toward a new definition resting on a fixed value of a fundamental constant."

Metrology and Fundamental Constants

Yuen R. Shen

The Seventh International Conference on Laser Spectroscopy or SEICOLS'85 was held at the Maui Surf Hotel, Hawaii, USA, June 24 to 28, 1985. Like its predecessors at Vail, Megeve, Jackson Lake, Rottach-Egern, Jasper Park, and Interlaken, SEICOLS '85 aimed at providing an informal setting for active scientists to meet and discuss recent developments and applications in laser spectroscopy. The Conference site on the sunny sands of famed Kaanapali Beach on the Island of Maui, although perhaps not the traditional mountain resort, offered nonetheless an atmosphere most inspiring to creative discussions during the unscheduled afternoons. The Conference was truly international: 223 scientists represented 19 countries, including Australia, Canada, People's Republic of China, Denmark, Finland, France Germany (FRG), Great Britain, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and U.S.A. The intense scientific program included 14 topical sessions with 59 invited talks. Approximately 60 additional invited papers and 16 postdeadline papers were presented during three lively evening poster sessions. The present Proceedings contain oral as well as poster and postdeadline papers. We thank all authors for the timely preparation of their manuscripts, now available to a wider audience. We would also like to thank the members of the International Steering Committee for their valuable suggestions and advice. Our special thanks go to the members of the Program Committee for their painstaking efforts.

Theo W. Hänsch

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