WG.8: Nanoscience Working Group

Rationale:

Nanoscience is a rapidly expanding field affecting a number of areas of physics. It was felt that there was no necessity to create a new commission in this area because at least 9 commissions are strongly involved in this field. The Working Group will examine the connections between nanoscience and the various fields of physics and determine whether and how IUPAP can facilitate its development.

Mandate:

Particular objectives of the working group are the following:

  1. Examine how nanoscience is fitting into established IUPAP sponsored conferences
  2. Are there any steps that could be taken to improve the coupling between the cold atom and the core nanoscience communities?
  3. Address whether and how IUPAP can stimulate the development of nanoscience. For example, would a conference sponsored by multiple IUPAP commissions devoted solely to nanoscience be desirable?

Organisation:

The working group will consist of one member from each of the following IUPAP commissions, to be selected by the respective commission chair by no later than Nov. 30, 2004. It will be chaired by W. van Wijngaarden, chair of commission 15 on Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics.

C3: Statistical Physics
C5: Low Temperature Physics
C6: Biological Physics
C8: Semiconductors
C9: Magnetism
C10: Structure and Dynamics of Condensed Matter
C15: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
C17: Quantum Electronics
C20: Computational Physics

Reports:

IUPAP will supply funds to enable the working group to have one face-to-face meeting. The working group will present a written report of its deliberations at the IUPAP General Assembly in Cape Town, South Africa, in October 2005.

Report of Nanoscience Working Group to October 2007

Membership:

H. Orland, C3
P. Ormos, C6, Bio. Research Centre, Szeged, Hungary
M. Coey, C9, Trinity College,Dublin, Ireland
W.A. van Wijngaarden (Chair), York University, Toronto, Canada
R.M. Nieminen, C20, Technical University, Helsinki, Finland
M. Paalanen, C5, Low Temperature Lab., Helsinki, Finland
E. Gornik, C8, Technical University Vienna, Austria
J. Dalibard, C10
R. Slusher, C17, Bell Labs, New Jersey, USA