Editor's preface

Complete text of publication follows. The Symposium on Fundamental Issues in Elementary Matter was held from September 25-29, 2000, in Bad Honnef, Germany. It brought together more than 50 leading experts on the structure and dynamics of elementary matter. The aim was to present a synopsis of recent developments in this rapidly progressing field. These proceedings bear witness that this goal has been fulfilled. The scope of the conference has been broad, spanning a variety of topics at the interface of nuclear and elementary particle physics. In the low-energy domain the focus was on nuclear structure, in particular exotic and superheavy nuclei. The recent discovery of new elements and of new fission phenomena makes this a fascinating topic. As a second focus of attention the many facets of elementary matter at high energies were the subject of various talks. Heavy ion collisions are in wide use to probe hadronic matter under conditions of extreme temperature and high density. Several phase transitions are expected to occur, most notably the phase transition to the Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP). Various speakers addressed the physics of dense hadronic matter, the nuclear equation of state, strangeness and antimatter production and many related subjects, both from the theoretical and the experimental perspective. Other talks reported on recent advances like color superconductivity as a new theoretical speculation, first results from the STAR experiment at RHIC, or the newest developments in cosmic ray physics. This high-level symposium was dedicated to the memory of a distinguished scientist. Michael Danos, who died on Aug. 30, 1999 in Washington, DC. He had spent most of his professional life as a researcher at NIST, the former National Bureau of Standards. Michael was a physicist of wide ranging interests who made various important contributions to theoretical nuclear physics, e.g. in the areas of photonuclear reactions, relativistic many-body physics, and high-energy heavy ion collisions. This symposium was meant as a token of appreciation for his life, his work and his personality by his friends and colleagues. Mike certainly would have enjoyed the fine talks, the lively discussions, the excursion to the Oelberg, and the hospitable setting at the DPG conference center. My special thanks go to the Wilhelm und Else Heraeus Stiftung for its generous support, which made this symposium possible. I want to express my gratitude to Johann Rafelski, Tucson, for his advice. Thanks are also due to Mathias Brandstetter for his assistance in organizing the conference and to Joachim Reinhardt for his help in preparing the proceedings. Finally, I acknowledge the agreeable collaboration with Istvan Lovas, editor-in-chief of Heavy Ion Physics. (author)