In the diversified and changing scenarios of the current frontiers of nuclear physics research, the topic 'Nuclear Equation of State' occupies the pivotal position. The present series of lectures by well known experts in this field span a wide area ranging from low energy to ultrarelativistic energy, with application to astrophysical phenomena like supernovae explosions, neutron star and other stellar processes, phase transitions in quantum chromodynamics, and properties of quark-gluon plasma. The present status of the VUU model for the intermediate energy heavy-ion collisions is also reviewed.

This proceedings volume presents current developments in nuclear physics which are driven by new experimental facilities (e.g. radioactive ion beams, CEBAF, RHIC), as well as by cross-fertilization with astrophysics and particle physics. It starts at an introductory level and builds up to a stage where the reader can appreciate the challenges of current research fields. It is suitable for both theorists and experimentalists.

This set of lectures deals with the transition from nuclear matter to quark matter. The reader will learn not only about the theory of quark-gluon plasmas but also how they are obtained in the laboratory through heavy-ion collisions or where they can be found in astrophysical objects such as compact stars. The book fills a gap between well-known textbook material and the research literature and is thus perfectly suited for postgraduate students who wish to enter this field, for lecturers looking for advanced material for their courses and for scientists in search of a modern source of reference on these topics.

This book focuses on the ideas to embed nuclear physics in the larger context of hadronic physics by stressing and deepening its widening overlap with particle, astroparticle and condensed matter physics and to emphasize the unity of the two facets not only of nuclear, but of the whole physics; the theoretical and the experimental ones. Counteracting the ominous trend of enlarging the gap between the two, the danger being of depriving experimental physics of ideas promoting experiments and of transforming theoretical physics into metaphysics. The reader will find modern conceptions on nuclear structure, how atomic nuclei are probed through the scattering of high energy electrons and how they interact when accelerated at ultra-relativistic energies. The item connects to the quest for the quark-gluon plasma, perhaps the central theme of the contemporary hadronic physics, whose unraveling requires a vast and profound knowledge of both nuclear and particle physics, in particular QCD.

The workshop on “Frontiers of Astronomy in 1990s” was held to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Astronomical Society.In total this set of proceedings presents 12 invited papers and 15 contributions, covering the many fields and their development within the region. These include astronomy, astronomical instruments, high energy astrophysics and space astronomy, galaxies and large scale structure of the universe, stars, interstellar medium and the Galaxy, the Sun and the solar system and many more interesting topics in astronomy.15 distinguished scientists from 8 countries attended and presented their reports. These include Y Kozai, J Trümper, J P Swings, R E Williams, W Hillebrandt, F N Bash, W Wamsteker, M Créze, M Dennefeld, G Börner, Kaifu, H-Y Chiu, T C Weekes, J-S Shen and C-H Tsai.For those mystified by the stars, the planets and the universe as a whole, this volume promises to intrigue and transport you beyond the frontiers of astronomy.