International physicists in Lincoln May 17-21 for annual conference

Approximately 600 atomic physicists will gather in Lincoln May 17-21 for the annual international meeting of the Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics of the American Physical Society, hosted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Special guest during the conference, which will be mainly at the Cornhusker Marriott, 333 S. 13th St., along with various sites at UNL, is John H. Marburger III, science adviser to the president and director of the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy. Marburger will speak after the main banquet and reception at 7 p.m. on May 20. During his long career as a scientist-administrator, Marburger co-founded the Center for Laser Studies at the University of Southern California, served as the third president of the State University of New York at Stony Brook from 1980-1994, and as director of Brookhaven National Laboratory from 1998 until he took up his present appointment in October 2001.

May 18 at 8 p.m., Susan Marie Frontczak will give a special performance of "Manya, a Living History of Marie Curie," at Kimball Recital Hall, 11th and R streets (extended). Audience members can experience the riveting life story of one of the most famous women in science. Admission to the performance is $5, with tickets available at the door.

The free public event at the conference is a May 21 symposium on Albert Einstein, organized as part of the World Year of Physics 2005. The 9 a.m. program in the Marriott Cornhusker grand ballroom will feature four internationally-renowned historians who will discuss key milestones in Einstein's career and his profound influence on modern atomic physics: John Rigden of Washington University in St. Louis will speak on "Einstein and 1905," Roger Stuewer of the University of Minnesota will speak on "Einstein's Revolutionary Light-Quantum Hypothesis," Michael Janssen of Minnesota will speak on "Emergence and Interpretation of Lorentz Invariance," and Kameshwar C. Wali of Syracuse University will speak on "Einstein, Bose, and Bose-Einstein Statistics."

These talks will be non-technical in nature and are aimed at a broad audience to include the general public.

The conference will also feature workshops, poster sessions, panels and 65 invited presentations on various developments within the atomic physics discipline:

* Plenary Prize Session
* Matter Optics and Atom Chips
* Applications of AMO Science to Astrophysics
* Interactions of Slow Electrons with Biomolecules
* Precision Tests of Relativity and Gravitation
* Ultra Short Pulse Physics (Attosecond, Femtosecond)
* Electron Driven Processes and Their Applications
* Direct Measurement of Electron Correlation in Atoms
* Quantum Control of AMO Processes
* Attosecond and High Energy Density Physics
* The BCS-BEC Crossover in Trapped Fermi Gases
* Quantum Information
* Synchrotron Radiation and Novel Photon Sources
* Hot Topics Session
* Thesis Prize Session
* Public Symposium on the Einstein Centennial

May 17 workshops will include a Tutorial Workshop on Modern Laser Technology, which is intended for students and postdoctoral researchers. These lectures will be followed by a hands-on session on laser pulse dynamics led by the workshop organizers, Herman Batelaan and Cornelis J. Uiterwaal of UNL. UNL faculty will give lectures and presentations, including on-site demonstrations at their laboratories.

"This is the largest international conference of atomic physicists held each year, and we're proud to host such a gathering with some of the world's most eminent scientists here in Lincoln. This meeting is to atomic physics what Woodstock was to rock and roll," said Tim Gay, who is co-hosting the conference with Anthony Starace. They are both professors of physics at UNL.

"This is our opportunity to show our colleagues what we do here at UNL. And for anyone interested in Albert Einstein and his impact on the modern world, the Saturday symposium will be well worth attending."

For more information about the conference, including a complete list of events, see http://damop2005.unl.edu on the World Wide Web.

CONTACT: Tim Gay, Professor, Physics & Astronomy, (402) 472-2773 (tgay1@unl.edu); or
Anthony Starace, Professor, Physics & Astronomy, (402) 472-2795 (astarace1@unl.edu)