This award supports the participation of approximately eight U.S. scientists in an international workshop on laser applications in surface science, coorganized by E. Ward Plummer of the University of Pennsylvania, H.-J. Freund of Ruhr University, and Peter Andresen of the Max Planck Institute in Gottingen. The meeting will bring together about forty scientists with diverse backgrounds in surface science, laser spectroscopy and dynamics, and nonlinear optics, to share their expertise and insight in the applications of lasers to surface science. The role of theory in this newly developing field will also be addressed. Topics to be discussed include recent developments in laser technology, surface processes (e.g., energy transfer, structural rearrangements, diffusion and chemical reactions), optical techniques, such as second harmonic generation, at the macroscopic and microscopic levels, nonlinear surface processes and resonant phenomena at surfaces. The meeting will combine general review talks with more detailed current research presentations, through the use of discussion panels and conference summary presentations by leaders in each area. The goal is to review the state of the art and identify technical limitations, breakthroughs and future directions, while providing an environment that will also encourage collaboration. The application of laser based techniques and technology to the investigation of surface phenomena holds tremendous potential. Characteristics of the laser open up new dimensions for the surface scientist, while, for the laser spectroscopist, the study of surfaces offers a new challenge that is a natural extension of already well-developed studies on liquids, gasses, and solids. A broad spectrum of scientists and disciplines is needed in this new interface of lasers and surface science. The field is new enough that there has not yet been a meeting such as the one proposed here, where both laser and surface science experts from chemistry and physics have been brought together. Funding from the Adriatico Conference will be used to bring young scientists to the meeting to encourage their participation in this important interdisciplinary field.
