Discusses major themes of solar physics research and major discoveries of the last decade, focusing on solar cycle, stellar coronae and winds, magnetic explosions, and 100-AU-radius heliosphere. Includes conclusions/recommendations of the Solar Physics Working Group of the Astronomy Survey Committee, concerning observational/theoretical programs…

Discusses the origin of de Broglie's concept and its influences on his contemporaries, notably on Einstein, Schrodinger, Elsasser, Davisson, and Thomson. Indicates that the theory served not only as the starting point of quantum mechanics, but also opened new experimental possibilities. Historical inaccuracies are corrected with new material…

Describes major programs carried out by the National Bureau of Standards to solve problems relating to energy resources, technological innovation, public health protection and unit standardization. (CC)

Addresses questions of the philosophy of computer use that cut across various specialities, providing examples to make these distinctions clear. Topics considered include numerical analysis, simulations, software, Fortran computer language, and hardware. Indicates that computers do more than analyze experimentors' data. (JN)

Experimentalists in particle physics have long regarded computers as essential components of their apparatus. Theorists are now finding that significant advances in some areas can be accomplished only in partnership with a machine. Needs of experimentalists, interests of theorists, and specialized computers for high-energy experiments are…

Discusses contributions of computers to research in magnetic and inertial-confinement fusion, charged-particle-beam propogation, and space sciences. Considers use in design/control of laboratory and spacecraft experiments and in data acquisition; and reviews major plasma computational methods and some of the important physics problems they…

Presents supportive statements from a member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and a Nobel Peace Prize winner that the scientific community has an obligation to inform the public fully about the impact of scientific developments. Autobiographical data concerning the author is also included. (CS)

Compares and contrasts industrial and university physics departments, focusing on the group dynamics and work environment of a corporate physics (General Motors). A major difference between these departments lies in the motivation for and evaluation of research, not in the selection of research topics. (Author/JN)

Traces the development of quantum field theory over the last 50 years beginning with the research of Paul Dirac. Includes past and current research endeavors of various scientists. (JN)

Focuses on past achievements of physicists beginning with the discovery of gaseous nebulae and listing seven commonly found characteristics of this and other observational discoveries which can foster further discovery. Suggests how theory is related to observation and where physicists make their greatest contributions to astronomy. (Author/JN)

In a first-hand description of accelerator experiments on nuclei of mass three, the ideas that led to the development of acceleration mass spectrometry are traced. (Author)

Discusses recent advances in polarization techniques, specifically those dealing with polarization of atomic nuclei, and how polarized beams and targets are produced. These techniques have greatly increased the scope of possible studies, and provided the tools for testing fundamental symmetries and the spin dependence of nuclear forces. (GA)

Describes the plan submitted by the Nuclear Science Advisory Committee to the Department of Energy and National Science Foundation urging construction of an ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collider designed to accelerate nucleon beams of ions as heavy as uranium. Discusses the process of selecting the type of facility as well as siting. (JM)

In the 1930s, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar found a fundamental parameter that determines the density of stars. Although recognized as a major discovery, it was generally unaccepted by astronomers because the work was ridiculed by a preeminent astronomer (Arthur Eddington). The controversy and current understanding of stellar evolution are discussed.…

Reviews the accomplishments in physics previous to 1931 and compares them to accomplishments during the past 50 years. (JN)