This is the second in a series of "International Workshops on Electron Correlations and Materials Properties. " The aim of this series of workshops is to provide a periodic (triennial) and in-depth assessment of advances in the study and understanding of the effects that electron-electron interactions in solids have on the determination of measurable properties of materials. The workshop is structured to include exposure to experimental work, to phenomenology, and to ab initio theory. Since correlation effects are pervasive the workshop aims to concentrate on the identification of promising developing methodology, experimental and theoretical, addressing the most critical frontier issues of electron correlations on the properties of materials. This series of workshops is distinguished from other topical meetings and conferences in that it strongly promotes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of correlations, involving the fields of quantum chemistry, physics, and materials science. The First Workshop was held June 28-July 3, 1998, and a proceedings of the workshop was published by KluwerlPlenum. The Second Workshop was held June 24- 29,2001, and this volume contains the proceedings of that scientific meeting. Through the publications of proceedings, the workshop attempts to disseminate the information gathered during the discussions held at the Workshop to the wider scientific community, and to establish a record of advances in the field.

Electronic structure and physical properties of strongly correlated materials containing elements with partially filled 3d, 4d, 4f and 5f electronic shells is analyzed by Dynamical Mean-Field Theory (DMFT). DMFT is the most universal and effective tool used for the theoretical investigation of electronic states with strong correlation effects. In the present book the basics of the method are given and its application to various material classes is shown. The book is aimed at a broad readership: theoretical physicists and experimentalists studying strongly correlated systems. It also serves as a handbook for students and all those who want to be acquainted with fast developing filed of condensed matter physics.

Readership: Graduate students and researchers in condensed matter physics.

The articles collected in this book cover a wide range of materials with extraordinary superconducting and magnetic properties. For many of the materials studied, strong electronic correlations provide a link between these two phenomena which were long thought to be highly antagonistic. The book reports both the progress in our understanding of fundamental physical processes and the advances made towards the development of devices.

Volume 43 of Advances in Solid State Physics contains the written versions of most of the plenary and invited lectures of the Spring Meeting of the Condensed Matter Physics section of the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft held from March 24 to 28, 2003 in Dresden, Germany. Many of the topical talks given at the numerous and very lively symposia are also included. They covered an extremely interesting selection of timely subjects. Thus the book truly reflects the status of the field of solid state physics in 2003, and explains its attractiveness, not only in Germany but also internationally.

The NATO sponsored Advanced Research Workshop on "Concepts in Electron Correlation" took place on the Croatian island of Hvar during the period from the 29th of September to the 3rd of October, 2002. The topic of electron correlation is a fundamental one in the field of condensed matter, and one that is being very actively studied both experimentally and theoretically at the present time. The manifestations of electron cor relation are diverse, and play an important role in systems ranging from high temperature superconductors, heavy fermions, manganite compounds with colossal magnetoresistance, transition metal compounds with metal insulator transitions, to mesoscopic systems and quantum dots. The aim of the workshop was to provide an opportunity for a dialogue between exper imentalists and theoreticians to assess the current state of understanding, and to set an agenda for future work. There was also a follow-up workshop on the same topic where the presentations included more background and introductory material for younger researchers in the field. The papers presented in these proceedings clearly demonstrate the di versity of current research on electron correlation. They show that real progress is being made in characterising systems experimentally and in developing theoretical approaches for a quantitative comparison with ex periment. The more one learns, however, the more there is to understand, and many of the contributions help to map out the territory which has yet to be explored. We hope that the articles in this volume will be a stimulus for such future work.