expensive, reactor scheme than the tokamak or stellarator with the possibili­ The Seventh European Regional ty of a smaller sized unit. At the values of β which are in prin­ Astronomy Meeting ciple possible in the RFP, the magnetic field will be relatively small and since the B field decreases outward with plasma radius as 1/r the magnetic forces on ex­ ternal conductors can be quite modest. The Seventh European Regional As­ 400 participants, with the presentation Since the aspect ratio is not restricted by tronomy Meeting, organized by the Eu­ of about 240 contributions. The invited stability considerations, an open struc­ ropean Physical Society and the Interna­ papers will be published by the Societa ture with R/a  5-10 can be used; this tional Astronomical Union, took place in Astronomica Italiana (Largo E. Fermi, 5, further eases the problems of magnetic Florence from December 12 - 16, 1983. I-50125 Firenze). forces and is advantageous for a reactor. It was cosponsored by the Italian Minis­ During the last two days of the mee­ If ignition by ohmic heating alone is try of Education, Arcetri Astrophysical ting, three full-day specialized sessions possible, the complexity and cost of ad­ Observatory, the University of Florence, were organized on the following sub­ ditional heating will be avoided, which is and the Italian Astronomical Society. jects: a major simplification. The opening ceremony was quite spec­ — the NL-UK-USA Infrared Astro­ Although as presently envisaged the tacular since it was held in the old palace nomy Satellite, IRAS; RFP reactor would be pulsed, it is now "Palazzo della Signoria", with trumpet — the European X-ray Satellite, clear that the magnetic field distribution players in Renaissance costumes behind EXOSAT ; is self-generating and this can lead to a the official table. — Atomic and Molecular Physics for The EPS and IAU are interested in pro­ Astronomy. quasi steady state operation. For full moting scientific exchange between as­ steady state operation, means must be found, as for all systems using transfor­ tronomers, astrophysicists and physi­ IRAS mer coupling, to drive the toroidal cur­ cists, the borders between their disci­ IRAS was launched on 25 January, rent continuously. Methods proposed plines often being difficult to define. One 1983, and ended its astronomical life on of the means of achieving this goal is to for the tokamak using neutral beam or 22 November, 1983 when its coolant high frequency driven currents in prin­ organize regular meetings on the Euro­ ran out, but in the course of the first six ciple might apply in a pinch, and will be pean level: these meetings should also months, the spacecraft was able to view provide the young scientists with an op­ the entire celestial sphere. The cooled investigated and tested at a more advan­ portunity to meet the more established, ced stage of pinch development. 22.4 in telescope mapped the area in and to publicize their own work. bands centred around 12, 25, 60 and The IAU has been organizing Euro­ 100 µm and made more detailed obser­ REFERENCES pean Regional Meetings for several vations of several targets. There has 1. Gibson A., Europhysics News 14 (1983) 4. years now; been very little release of scientific data 2. Baldwin D.E., Europhysics News 12 (1981) — 1972, Athens: "Solar Activity and so far: first accounts are to appear in a 8/9. Related Interplanetary and Terrestrial series of papers in Astrophysical Journal 3. Wobig H., Europhysics News 13 (1982) Phenomena" — "Stars and the Milky Letters (March 1984), and a catalogue is 8/9. Way System" — "Galaxies and Relati­ scheduled for August-September 1984 FURTHER READING vistic Astrophysics". (with positions and other information on — 1974, Trieste: "Stars and Stellar more than 200000 far-infrared sour­ — for early pinch work see Glasstone S., Evolution". Lovberg R.H., Controlled Thermonuclear ces). Reactions (D. Van Nostrand, Princeton, N.J.) — 1975, Tbilisi: "Stars and Galaxies The specialized session organized in 1960; from Observational Points of View”. Florence gave the participants the occa­ — for a summary of the results up to 1978, — 1978, Uppsala: "Stars and Star sion to listen to a series of talks which in­ see Ortolani S., Reversed Field Pinch Con­ Systems". cluded several on comets and fast mov­ figuration, Nuclear Fusion 19 (1978) 535; — 1980, Liège: "Variability in Stars ing objects, the "minor planet" or burn­ — for a general review of the RFP research and Galaxies". ed out comet 1983 TB, a solar system up to 1979, see Bodin H.A.B. and Newton — 1982, Dubrovnik: "Sun and Plane­ dust ring, the "infrared cirrus" clouds A.A., Reversed Field Pinch Research, Nu­ tary System". (very cold dust at  35°K, present even clear Fusion 20 (1980) 1255; The first six meetings were topical i.e. in the direction of the galactic poles), — for more updated reviews, see Bodin H.A.B. and Ortolani S., the Status of RFP Ex­ essentially devoted to one (sometimes galactic cold dust (part of the "missing periments, University of Padova Report very broad) subject whereas the se­ mass"?), stars with dust shells (ring of UPee 82/09 (1982); venth showed the result of a tighter col­ solid particles around Vega, older clouds Dreicer H., Topics in Reversed Field Pinch laboration between the EPS and the IAU, at larger distances around Betelgeuse), Physics, Physica Scripta T2/2 (1982) 435; in the following sense: talks in any the Crab Nebula, sources in Molecular — for reports on progress in the major expe­ astrophysical discipline were accepted, Clouds, the Andromeda Galaxy M31, in­ riments, see the proceedings of the biennal and parallel sessions as well as invited frared galaxies (a huge number of them IAEA Conferences on Plasma Physics and talks were organized on topics at the visible at the long wave bands), clusters Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research; frontier between astronomy and physics and quasars, and the intriguing blank — for a recent collection of papers on RFP and/or in areas where new develop­ theory and experiments see the proceedings fields (IR sources with presently no op­ of the Course and Workshop on Mirror ments in physics are important for astro- tical counterpart). After these presenta­ Based and Field Reversed Approaches to physical research. tions of IRAS results, it was very clear Magnetic Fusion, Varenna, Sept. 7-17 It is fair to say that this Seventh that the astronomical community was (1983), to be published by the Commission Regional Astronomy Meeting was a anxiously waiting for the release of the of the European Communities. great success since it attracted over first papers and of the catalogue since 8 numerous exciting follow-up studies in good example of cross-fertilization bet­ tion of this gathering is expected to be various wavelength regions will have to ween physicists and astrophysicists and defined later this year, once offers from be performed. therefore fulfils one of the main aims of host cities or institutions have been joint EPS/IAU ventures. received by the EPS or the IAU. The Eighth European Regional Astro­ The success of the Florence Meeting EXOSAT nomy Meeting will be held in Toulouse, has given a strong impetus towards the The European X-ray satellite EXOSAT France, from September 17-21, 1984: it creation of a European Astronomical So­ was launched at the end of May, 1983. should, as in Florence, be open to all ciety : there is no doubt that the Euro­ Although some of the experiments on astrophysical disciplines, and have, in pean astronomical community has in­ board caused problems during a few addition the following four specialized deed become sufficiently strong and weeks, it now appears that many scien­ sessions : mature, and that the creation of such a tific results are becoming available, as — high spatial resolution in solar phy­ society would be most timely and appro­ was evident from the session organized sics; priate. Contacts to this effect are pre­ on this satellite. — new aspects of galaxy photometry; sently taking place, and the results will Thirty two contributed papers gave a — near molecular clouds; be discussed at the time of the Toulouse good impression of the productivity and — physical processes near the Edding­ gathering (see also page 3). exciting new, although preliminary, re­ ton limit. sults from the first months of EXOSAT in The Ninth Meeting is then scheduled Jean-Pierre Swings orbit. Particular interest was shown in for 1986, and it is hoped that it will take (Secretary, Astronomy and the new spectroscopic data on several place as a "European forum": the loca- Astrophysics Divisional Board) hot white dwarf stars and galactic bina­ ries. The ability to carry out long uninter­ rupted observations and to observe in real time were evidently valuable fea­ CMD Section Committee Elections tures of the highly eccentric EXOSAT or­ Following the recent elections within Semiconductors and Insulators Section bit. Coming only a few months after the J.W. Allen, University, St. Andrews start of the main observing programme, the Sections of the Condensed Matter Division, the basic Committees are D. Bäuerle, University, Linz the session in Florence underlined the F. Beleznay, Inst, for Technical Physics, great potential of EXOSAT for European made up as follows. These Committees Budapest astronomers over the next few years. will be electing their own Chairmen and R. Blinc, Josef Stefan Inst., Ljubljana Several international conferences are coopting additional members: H. Grimmeiss, University, Lund being organized in 1984 on the subject G.Harbeke, RCA Labs., Zurich of X-ray astronomy: no doubt many Low Temperature Section results will be presented based on purely M. Krusius, University, Turku Surfaces and Interfaces Section EXOSAT data or on simultaneous obser­ F. Pobell, KFA, Jülich G.Benedek, University, Milan vations with e.g. EXOSAT, IUE and H. Postma, University, Delft F. Koch, Tech. University, Munich F.B. Rasmussen, H.C.  rsted Inst., B.l. Lundqvist, Chalmers Univ. of ground-based telescopes. Copenhagen Technology, Göteborg D. Thoulouze, CRTB-CNRS, Grenoble F. Saris, FOM Inst, for Atomic and Atomic and Molecular Physics for As­ W.F. Vinen, University, Birmingham Molecular Physics, Amsterdam tronomy H.C. Siegmann, ETH, Zurich The aim of this meeting was to bring R.F. Willis, Cavendish Labs., Cambridge Macromolecular Physics Section together "producers" and "users" of F. Baltà-Calleja, Inst, of Chem. Physics, atomic and molecular data and theories. Madrid According to many participants, it G. Bodor, Polymer Res. Inst. Budapest Elections was a real success. Three invited papers A. Keller, University, Bristol and 25 original contributions were pre­ H. G. Kilian, University, Ulm to the Plasma sented in one day; they were distributed J.P. Mercier, High Polymer Lab., Physics Board among different sub-sections : term Louvain-la-Neuve analysis and transition probabilities for L. Monnerie, ESPCI, Paris At the end of May, the Plasma Physics atoms (7 papers), molecular physics (7), Division will be electing a new Board to basic processes (2), line broadening (3), Magnetism Section serve for the next three years. This will highly-ionized atoms (6). It is through L.J. de Jongh, Kammerlingh Onnes consist of 12 full members (of whom at this type of meeting that astrophysicists Laboratory, Leiden least six cannot have served on the pre­ learn to understand the problems physi­ R. Elliott, University, Oxford sent Board) and up to three co-opted cists encounter, while physicists better J. Kaczer, Czechoslovak Acad. of members, all of whom resign at the end realize what are the needs for data and Sciences, Prague of their term. National societies and G.M. Kalvius, Tech. University, Munich members of the Division are invited to the role they play in astrophysics. Such E. Karlsson, University, Uppsala goals have undoubtedly been achieved S. Methfessel, Ruhr Univ., Bochum nominate candidates. Those from the during the Florence specialized meeting : Division should carry the signatures of the present astronomical needs for ac­ three Individual Ordinary Members and curate atomic and molecular data have Metals Section an assurance that the candidate is will­ D. Bacon, University, Liverpool ing to serve if elected. Proposals should been stressed, and many physicists K. H.J. Buschow, Philips' Res. Labs., have reported on new data which rapidly Eindhoven be sent by 18 May 1984 to the Chair­ respond to the requests from astrophy­ R. Cahn, University, Cambridge man : sicists. O. Fischer, University, Geneva Dr. A. Gibson, The meeting on Atomic and Molecular J.P. Gaspard, University, Liège JET Joint Undertaking Physics for Astronomy was in fact a very E. Lüscher, Technical University, Munich Abingdon, 0X14 3EA, England 10