Condensed Matter Theories (1988)

This book is the third volume in an approximately annual series which comprises the proceedings of the International Workshops on Condensed Matter Theories. The first of these meetings took place in 1977 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and successive workshops have been held in Trieste, Italy (1978), Buenos Aires, Argentina (1979), Caracas, Venezuela (1980), Mexico City, Mexico (1981), St. Louis, USA (1982), Altenberg, Federal Republic of Germany (1983), Granada, Spain (1984), San Francisco, USA (1985), and Argonne, USA (1986). The present volume contains the proceedings of the Eleventh Workshop which took place in Qulu, Finland during the period 27 July - 1 August, 1987. The original motivation and the historical evolution of the series of Workshops have been amply described in the preface to the first volume in the present series. An important objective throughout has been to work against the ever-present trend for physics to fragment into increasingly narrow fields of specialisation, between which communication is difficult. The Workshops have traditionally sought to emphasise the unity of physics. By bringing together scientists working in many different areas of condensed matter theory, for the dual purpose of fostering collaborations between them and promoting the exchange of ideas between various disciplines, a common language has been exposed and developed. The Editor of the first volume in the series, F. B.