The current state of the art of various aspects of micro emulsion systems is reflected in this volume. Major topics discussed include: general background on solubilized systems, phase diagrams and phase equi- libria, bicontinuous microemulsions, Winsor's phases, theories and models of complex self association structures, cry tical behaviour, phase tran- sitions in lyotropic liquid crystals. I hope that this book will serve its intended objective of reflecting our current understanding of microemulsions both in theory and practice, and that it will be useful to researchers, both novices as well as experts, as a valuable reference source. I feel indebted to the people of the Ettore Majorana Centre: the friendly atmosphere of the Erice centre provided a very effective environ- ment to enjoy the company of colleagues and friends during breaks and after sessions, and to discuss problems of mutual interest. The courtesy, efficiency and devotion of the secretarial and technical staff was also appreciated, and greatly contributed to make the Workshop a smoothly run- ning one. The Scientific Secretary Donatella Senatra Department of Physics University of Florence (Italy) v INTRODUCTION The decision to publish. in a more permanent form than heretofore. the Proceedings of the Workshop on "Progress in Microemulsion" of the Inter- national School of Quantum Electronics. which was held in Erice (Italy) from October 26 to November 1st. 1985. under the auspices of the "Ettore Majorana" Centre for Scientific Culture. will prove to be a sound one.

The Nato Advanced Study Institute "Phase Transitions in Liquid Crystals" was held May 2-12, 1991, in Erice, Sicily. This was the 16th conference organized by the International School of Quantum Electronics, under the auspices of the "Ettore Majorana" Centre for Scientific Culture. The subject of "Liquid Crystals" has made amazing progress since the last ISQE Course on this subject in 1985. The present Proceedings give a tutorial introduction to today's most important areas, as well as a review of current results by leading researchers. We have brought together some of the world's acknowledged experts in the field to summarize both the present state of their research and its background. Most of the lecturers attended all the lectures and devoted their spare hours to stimulating discussions. We would like to thank them all for their admirable contributions. The Institute also took advantage of a very active audience; most of the students were active researchers in the field and contributed with discussions and seminars. Some of these student seminars are also included in these Proceedings. We did not modify the original manuscripts in editing this book, but we did group them according to the following topics: 1) "Theoretical Foundations"; 2) "Thermotropic Liquid Crystals"; 3) "Ferroelectric Liquid Crystals"; 4) "Polymeric Liquid Crystals"; and 5) "Lyotropic Liquid Crystals".

There is a consistent trend towards miniaturization of deviees and systems in many fields of engineering, in order to achieve significant reductions in size, weight, power consumption and cost. This trend is especially evident in optics and optoelectronics, where recent years have seen rapid growth in such new or renewed areas as rnicrooptics, integrated optics, integrated optoelectronics, and diffractive optics. In November 1996, an international group of scientists convened in Eriee, Sicily, for a meeting on the subject of "Diffractive Opties and Optieal Mierosystems." This Conference was the 20th Course of the International School of Quantum Electronies, under the auspices of the "Ettore Majorana Center for Scientific Culture" and was directed by Prof. Franeo Gori of the Third University of Rome, Italy, and Prof. Giancarlo Righini of the "Nello Carrara" Institute of Research on Electromagnetic Waves (IROE-CNR) in Florence, Italy. This book presents the Proceedings of this Conference, providing a fundamental introduction to the topie as weIlas reports on recent research results.

The conference "Nonlinear Optics and Optical Computing" was held May 11-19, 1988 in Erice, Sicily. This was the 13th conference organized by the International School of Quantum Electronics, under the auspices of the "Ettore Majorana" Center for Scientific Culture. This volume contains both the invited and contributed papers presented at the conference, providing tutorial background, the latest research results, and future directions for the devices, structures and architectures of optical computing. The invention of the transistor and the integrated circuit were followed by an explosion of application as ever faster and more complex microelectronics chips became available. The information revolution occa sioned by digital computers and optical communications is now reaching the limits of silicon semiconductor technology, but the demand for faster com putation is still accelerating. The fundamental limitations of information processing today derive from the performance and cost of three technical factors: speed, density, and software. Optical computation offers the potential for improvements in all three of these critical areas: Speed is provided by the transmission of impulses at optical veloc ities, without the delays caused by parasitic capacitance in the case of conventional electrical interconnects. Speed can also be achieved through the massive parallelism characteristic of many optical computing architec tures; Density can be provided in optical computers in two ways: by high spatial resolution, on the order of wavelengths of light, and by computa tion or interconnection in three dimensions."

Proceedings of the International School of Quantum Electronics 27th course on Bose Einstein Condensates and Atom Lasers, October 19-24, 1999, Erice, Italy. Since the experimental demonstration of Bose Einstein Condensation in dilute atomic gases there has been an explosion of interest in the properties of this novel macroscopic quantum system. The book covers the methods used to produce these new samples of coherent atoms, their manipulation and the study of their properties. Emphasis is given to the anticipated development of new types of sources, which more and more resemble traditional types of lasers. Because of recent new applications and increasing demand for lasers, sensors and associated instrumentation, the chapters also cover current developments in the basic techniques, materials and applications in the field of the generation of coherent atoms.

Proceedings of the 22nd Course of the International School of Quantum Electronics, held 27 November-2 December 1997, in Erice, Italy. In recent years, fiber optical sensors and optical microsystems have assumed a significant role in sensing and measurement of many kinds. These optical techniques are utilised in a wide range of fields, including biomedicine, environmental sensing, mechanical and industrial measurement, and art preservation. This volume, an up-to-date survey of optical sensors and optical microsystems, aims at combining a tutorial foundation with analysis of current research in this area, and an extensive coverage of both technology and applications.

This volume contains the Proceedings of a two-week course on "Laser Applications to Biology and Medicine" held from September 4 to 16, 1983 in Erice, Italy. This is the 10th annual course of the International School of Quantum Electronics organized under the auspices of the "E. Majorana" Center for Scientific Culture., Among the possible approaches to a course on Laser Applications to Biology and Medicine, the one which emphasizes the scientific and technological aspects of the advanced laser techniques when applied to laboratory and clinical tests has been chosen. In fact, it reflects the new policy of the School to stress the advanced scien tific and technological achievements in the field of Quantum Elec tronics. Accordingly, the Course has given the broadest information on the ultimate performances already achieved and the perspectives of their applications. Because of the great variety of applications of laser in biology, medicine, chemistry, engineering and related branches of science, this school addressed a subject of interdisciplinary interest. The formal sessions have been balanced between tutorial presentations and lectures focusing on unsolved problems and future directions. In addition, wide time has been provided for the par ticipants to meet together informally for additional discussions on the forefront of current work. Therefore the character of the Course was a blend of current research and tutorial reviews."

The recent developement of high power lasers, delivering femtosecond pulses of 20 2 intensities up to 10 W/cm , has led to the discovery of new phenomena in laser interactions with matter. At these enormous laser intensities, atoms, and molecules are exposed to extreme conditions and new phenomena occur, such as the very rapid multi photon ionization of atomic systems, the emission by these systems of very high order harmonics of the exciting laser light, the Coulomb explosion of molecules, and the acceleration of electrons close to the velocity of light. These phenomena generate new behaviour of bulk matter in intense laser fields, with great potential for wide ranging applications which include the study of ultra-fast processes, the development of high-frequency lasers, and the investigation of the properties of plasmas and condensed matter under extreme conditions of temperature and pressure. In particular, the concept of the "fast ignitor" approach to inertial confinement fusion (ICF) has been proposed, which is based on the separation of the compression and the ignition phases in laser-driven ICF. The aim of this course on "Atom, Solids and Plasmas in Super-Intense Laser fields" was to bring together senior researchers and students in atomic and molecular physics, laser physics, condensed matter and plasma physics, in order to review recent developments in high-intensity laser-matter interactions. The course was held at the Ettore Majorana International Centre for Scientific Culture in Erice from July 8 to July 14,2000.

Modern manufacturing industry is focusing its interests on the potential offered by the laser, in combination with other new technologies such as optical fibres, automation, computing and flexible manufacturing systems, to give new and powerful methods for non-destructive testing, in-process quality assurance, laser material processing and process control, and laser robotics. The greatest opportunities for the laser are in those areas where flexibility, automation, CAD/CAM integration, precision, cost reduction, and time to market are important factors. The examples covered here are mainly drawn from the automotive industry, where all these factors are imperative, and where the CO2, Nd-YAG and excimer laser sources are already making their contribution to the manufacturing process.

The conference "Laser Science and Technology" was held May 11-19, 1987 in Erice, Sicily. This was the 12th conference organized by the Internatio nal School of Quantum Electronics, under the auspices of the "Ettore Majorana" Center for Scientific Culture. This volume contains both the in vited and contributed papers presented at the conference, covering current research work in two areas: new laser sources, and laser applications. The operation of the first laser by Dr. Theodore Maiman in 1960 initia ted a decade of scientific exploration of new laser sources. This was fol lowed by the decade of the 1970s, which was characterized by "technology push" in which the discoveries of the 1960s were seeking practical applica tion. In the 1980s we are instead seeking "applications pull," in which the success and rapid maturing of laser applications provides both inspiration and financial resources to stimulate additional work both on laser sources and applications. The papers presented in these Proceedings attest to the great vitali ty of research in both these areas: New Laser Sources. The papers describe current developments in ultra violet excimer lasers, X-ray lasers, and free electron lasers. These new lasers share several characteristics: each is a potentially important coher ent source; each is at a relatively short wavelength (below 1 micrometer); and each is receiving significant development attention today."

This volume contains the Proceedings of a two-week NATO Advanced Study Institute on "Laser Systems for Photobiology and Photomedicine", conducted from May 11 to 20, 1990 in Erice, Italy. This is the 15th annual course of the International School of Quantum Electronics (ISQE), organized under the auspices of the "Ettore Majorana" Center for Scientific Culture. The application of lasers to medicine and surgery has made amazing progress since the last ISQE Course on this subject in 1983. The present Proceedings give a tutorial introduction to today's most important areas, as well as a review of current results by leading researchers. Among the possible approaches to a NATO Advanced Study Institute on Laser Systems for Photobiology and Photomedicine, we chose to emphasize the scientific and technological aspects of advanced laser systems when applied to laboratory and clinical tests. Since it is the policy of the School to stress the advanced scientific and techn*ological achievements in the field of Quantum Electronics, the Course broadly covers performance already achieved and potential applications.

As we enter the nineties, there is worldwide awareness that the future of all mankind is inexorably linked by the world we share, and its response to man's activities. Lasers and the optical sciences have brought powerful tools to measure and understand our environment. LIDAR (laser radar) and laser fluorescence allow us to measure atmospheric and oceanic pollutants, as well as industrial emissions, from many kilometers distance. And a variety of sensitive laser-based spectroscopic techniques permit the accurate analysis of heavy metals and other trace elements in the environment. In September 1989, an international group of scientists me.t in Erice, Sicily, for the 14th Course of the International School of Quant~ Electronics. This Course was devoted to "Optoelectronics for Envi~onmental Science", and was ably directed by Prof. V. S. Letokhov of the USSR Institute of Spectroscopy and Prof. A. M. Scheggi of the C.N.R. Electro magnetic Waves Institute, Florence, Italy. This book gives the proceedings of that conference, which covered not only basic tutorial papers but also reports on the latest research results. The first half of this volume describes the techniques used for direct "In-Situ Measurements" of the environment. In "Techniques and Programs", four chapters and one extended abstract give tutorial discussions of the most important remote sensing techniques: LIDAR, laser fluorescence, and optical fiber sensors, plus a description of the Italian program in this area.

The volume contains the proceedings of the 7th Course on Physics and Technology of Free Electron Lasers of the International School of Quantum Electronics, which was held in Erice (Italy) from 17 to 29 August 1980, under the auspices of the "Ettore Majorana" Centre for Scientific Culture. The level of this Course was much closer to a workshop than to a school, and "Advances in Free Electron Lasers" might have been an appropriate title. Many of the world's leading scientists in the field (among them, the inventor of FEL, J. M. J. Madey) were brought together to review the accomplishments of FEL experiments, as well various trends in FEL theory. In editing this material we did not modify the original manu scripts except to assist in uniformity of style. The papers. are presented without reference to the chronology of the Course but in the following topical arrangement: A. "Fundamentals of free electron lasers," a group of tutorial papers; B. "Free electron lasers operating in the Compton regime," where theories and experiments of FELs based on Compton scattering are reviewed; C. "Free electron lasers operating in the Raman regime," a dis cussion of FELs based on Raman scattering; D. "Optical klystrons," where the possibility of this class of FEL is discussed from a theoretical viewpoint; E."

This volume contains the proceedings of a two-week NATO A.S.I. on Integrated Optics: Physics and Applications, held from August 17 to August 30, 1981 in Erice, Italy. This is the 8th annual Course of the "International School of Quantum Electronics" presented under the auspices of the "E. Majorana" Centre for Scientific Culture. The subject was chosen in order to satisfy the demand for a course on integrated optics which is relevant to the expanding use of fiber optics for communication and signal processing. Integrated Optics, encompassing all of the optical waveguide circuits which are the optical analog of integrated circuits, is finding its way into a variety of applications involving communi cations, high speed signal-processing, and sensors of many kinds. However, because the technology is still changing very rapidly, the development of these exciting applications relies heavily upon the physics of the integrated optical circuits themselves and the pro cessing techniques used to fabricate them. This NATO A.S.I. provided not only a thorough tutorial treatment of the field, but also through panel discussions and additional lectures treated topics at the forefront of present work. Therefore the character of the Course was a blend of current research and tutorial reviews. "The Physics and Applications of Integrated Optics" could hardly be a more appropriate title to be chosen for this volume. Many of the worlds' acknowledged leaders in the field have been brought together to review and speculate on the accomplishments of integrated optics."

Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute, Erice, Italy, May 10-20, 1986

This volume contains the Proceedings of a two-week NATO A.S.I. on "Analytical Laser Spectroscopy," held from September 23 to October 3, 1982 in Erice, Italy. This is the 9th annual course of Inter national School of Quantum Electronics organized under the auspices of the "E. Majorana" Center for Scientific Culture. The Advanced Study Institute has been devoted to the analytical applications of lasers in spectroscopy. Atomic and molecular spec troscopy is one of the research fields in which the use of lasers has had a dramatic impact. New spectral information, difficult or impos sible to gather by classical spectroscopy, extremely high resolution spectroscopy of atoms and molecules made possible by the overcoming of the Doppler effect, selective excitation and detection of single atomic and molecular quantum states are just few typical examples of how laser sources have revolutionized the field, offering challenging problems of both fundamental and applied nature. Among the possible approaches to a course on Analytical Laser Spectroscopy, the one which emphasizes the scientific and technologi cal aspects of the advanced laser techniques when applied to chemical analysis has been chosen. In fact, it reflects the new policy of the School to stress the advanced scientific and technological achieve ments in the field of Quantum Electronics. Accordingly, the course has given the broadest information on the ultimate performances of analytical laser spectroscopy techniques and the perspectives of their applications."

The NATO Advanced Study Institute "Biomedical Optical Instrumentation and Laser Assisted Biotechnology" was held November 10-22, 1995 in Erice, Sicily. This was the 19 th conference organized by the International School of Quantum Electronics, under the auspices of the "Ettore Majorana" Center for Scientific Culture. The contributions presented at the Institute are written as extended, review-like papers to provide a broad and representative coverage of the fields of laser techniques, optoelectronics systems for medical diagnosis, and light and laser applications to Biology and Medicine. The aim of the Institute was to bring together some of the world's acknowledged scientists and clinicians that belong to different disciplines and consequently do not usually meet, but who have as a common link the use of optoelectronics instrumentation, techniques and procedures. Most of the lecturers attended all the lectures and devoted their spare hours to stimulating discussions. We would like to thank them all for their admirable contributions. The Institute also took advantage of a very active audience; most of the participants were active researchers in the field and contributed with discussions and seminars. Some of these seminars are also included in these Proceedings. The Institute was an important opportunity to discuss latest developments and emerging perspectives on the use of laser sources and optoelectronic techniques for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

The book is the output of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Optical Chemical Sensors and is 40th Course of the International School of Quantum Electronics and covers all the aspects related to optical chemical sensing by means of optical waveguides, from the fundamentals to the most recent applications. The book also provides a view through the history of the development of these sensors, from the first laboratory prototypes up to the first commercial instrumentations, and contains also the lecture given by the Nobel Prize Charles Townes on the birth of maser and laser, which is to be considered a very important illustration on how new science and new technology develop.

The book is the output of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Optical Chemical Sensors and is 40th Course of the International School of Quantum Electronics and covers all the aspects related to optical chemical sensing by means of optical waveguides, from the fundamentals to the most recent applications. The book also provides a view through the history of the development of these sensors, from the first laboratory prototypes up to the first commercial instrumentations, and contains also the lecture given by the Nobel Prize Charles Townes on the birth of maser and laser, which is to be considered a very important illustration on how new science and new technology develop.

The recent developement of high power lasers, delivering femtosecond pulses of 20 2 intensities up to 10 W/cm , has led to the discovery of new phenomena in laser interactions with matter. At these enormous laser intensities, atoms, and molecules are exposed to extreme conditions and new phenomena occur, such as the very rapid multi photon ionization of atomic systems, the emission by these systems of very high order harmonics of the exciting laser light, the Coulomb explosion of molecules, and the acceleration of electrons close to the velocity of light. These phenomena generate new behaviour of bulk matter in intense laser fields, with great potential for wide ranging applications which include the study of ultra-fast processes, the development of high-frequency lasers, and the investigation of the properties of plasmas and condensed matter under extreme conditions of temperature and pressure. In particular, the concept of the "fast ignitor" approach to inertial confinement fusion (ICF) has been proposed, which is based on the separation of the compression and the ignition phases in laser-driven ICF. The aim of this course on "Atom, Solids and Plasmas in Super-Intense Laser fields" was to bring together senior researchers and students in atomic and molecular physics, laser physics, condensed matter and plasma physics, in order to review recent developments in high-intensity laser-matter interactions. The course was held at the Ettore Majorana International Centre for Scientific Culture in Erice from July 8 to July 14,2000.

Proceedings of the 22nd Course of the International School of Quantum Electronics, held 27 November-2 December 1997, in Erice, Italy. In recent years, fiber optical sensors and optical microsystems have assumed a significant role in sensing and measurement of many kinds. These optical techniques are utilised in a wide range of fields, including biomedicine, environmental sensing, mechanical and industrial measurement, and art preservation. This volume, an up-to-date survey of optical sensors and optical microsystems, aims at combining a tutorial foundation with analysis of current research in this area, and an extensive coverage of both technology and applications.

There is a consistent trend towards miniaturization of deviees and systems in many fields of engineering, in order to achieve significant reductions in size, weight, power consumption and cost. This trend is especially evident in optics and optoelectronics, where recent years have seen rapid growth in such new or renewed areas as rnicrooptics, integrated optics, integrated optoelectronics, and diffractive optics. In November 1996, an international group of scientists convened in Eriee, Sicily, for a meeting on the subject of "Diffractive Opties and Optieal Mierosystems." This Conference was the 20th Course of the International School of Quantum Electronies, under the auspices of the "Ettore Majorana Center for Scientific Culture" and was directed by Prof. Franeo Gori of the Third University of Rome, Italy, and Prof. Giancarlo Righini of the "Nello Carrara" Institute of Research on Electromagnetic Waves (IROE-CNR) in Florence, Italy. This book presents the Proceedings of this Conference, providing a fundamental introduction to the topie as weIlas reports on recent research results.

The NATO Advanced Study Institute "Biomedical Optical Instrumentation and Laser Assisted Biotechnology" was held November 10-22, 1995 in Erice, Sicily. This was the 19 th conference organized by the International School of Quantum Electronics, under the auspices of the "Ettore Majorana" Center for Scientific Culture. The contributions presented at the Institute are written as extended, review-like papers to provide a broad and representative coverage of the fields of laser techniques, optoelectronics systems for medical diagnosis, and light and laser applications to Biology and Medicine. The aim of the Institute was to bring together some of the world's acknowledged scientists and clinicians that belong to different disciplines and consequently do not usually meet, but who have as a common link the use of optoelectronics instrumentation, techniques and procedures. Most of the lecturers attended all the lectures and devoted their spare hours to stimulating discussions. We would like to thank them all for their admirable contributions. The Institute also took advantage of a very active audience; most of the participants were active researchers in the field and contributed with discussions and seminars. Some of these seminars are also included in these Proceedings. The Institute was an important opportunity to discuss latest developments and emerging perspectives on the use of laser sources and optoelectronic techniques for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes."

Modern manufacturing industry is focusing its interests on the potential offered by the laser, in combination with other new technologies such as optical fibres, automation, computing and flexible manufacturing systems, to give new and powerful methods for non-destructive testing, in-process quality assurance, laser material processing and process control, and laser robotics. The greatest opportunities for the laser are in those areas where flexibility, automation, CAD/CAM integration, precision, cost reduction, and time to market are important factors. The examples covered here are mainly drawn from the automotive industry, where all these factors are imperative, and where the CO2, Nd-YAG and excimer laser sources are already making their contribution to the manufacturing process.

The current state of the art of various aspects of micro emulsion systems is reflected in this volume. Major topics discussed include: general background on solubilized systems, phase diagrams and phase equi- libria, bicontinuous microemulsions, Winsor's phases, theories and models of complex self association structures, cry tical behaviour, phase tran- sitions in lyotropic liquid crystals. I hope that this book will serve its intended objective of reflecting our current understanding of microemulsions both in theory and practice, and that it will be useful to researchers, both novices as well as experts, as a valuable reference source. I feel indebted to the people of the Ettore Majorana Centre: the friendly atmosphere of the Erice centre provided a very effective environ- ment to enjoy the company of colleagues and friends during breaks and after sessions, and to discuss problems of mutual interest. The courtesy, efficiency and devotion of the secretarial and technical staff was also appreciated, and greatly contributed to make the Workshop a smoothly run- ning one. The Scientific Secretary Donatella Senatra Department of Physics University of Florence (Italy) v INTRODUCTION The decision to publish. in a more permanent form than heretofore. the Proceedings of the Workshop on "Progress in Microemulsion" of the Inter- national School of Quantum Electronics. which was held in Erice (Italy) from October 26 to November 1st. 1985. under the auspices of the "Ettore Majorana" Centre for Scientific Culture. will prove to be a sound one.