The NATO-sponsored Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) on "Emerging Applications of Vacuum-Arc-Produced Plasma, Ion and Electron Beams" was held at the Baikal Dunes Resort, Lake Baikal, Russia, on June 24-28, 2002. Participants were from NATO countries Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Turkey and the USA, and from NATO partner countries Bulgaria, Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. The goal of the meeting was to bring together researchers involved in novel applications of plasmas and ion/electron beams formed from vacuum arc discharges, especially in less conventional or emerging scientific areas such as new perspectives on vacuum arc phenomena, generation of high charge state metal ions, heavy ion accelerator injection, multi-layer thin film synthesis, biological applications, generation of high-current high-density electron beams, and more. It was our hope that the meeting would engender new research directions and help to establish new collaborations, prompt new thinking for research and technology applications of vacuum arc science, and in general foster development of the field. The Workshop was a great success, as was clearly felt by all of the attendees. The small number of participants at the meeting tended to encourage a high level of closeness and communication between individuals. The location, a small resort on the western side of Lake Baikal in the vicinity of Irkutsk, was ideal - the isolated location, small and quiet, was excellent and was most conducive to discussion among individuals and small groups quite apart from the formal presentations.

The NATO-sponsored Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) on "Emerging Applications of Vacuum-Arc-Produced Plasma, Ion and Electron Beams" was held at the Baikal Dunes Resort, Lake Baikal, Russia, on June 24-28, 2002. Participants were from NATO countries Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Turkey and the USA, and from NATO partner countries Bulgaria, Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. The goal of the meeting was to bring together researchers involved in novel applications of plasmas and ion/electron beams formed from vacuum arc discharges, especially in less conventional or emerging scientific areas such as new perspectives on vacuum arc phenomena, generation of high charge state metal ions, heavy ion accelerator injection, multi-layer thin film synthesis, biological applications, generation of high-current high-density electron beams, and more. It was our hope that the meeting would engender new research directions and help to establish new collaborations, prompt new thinking for research and technology applications of vacuum arc science, and in general foster development of the field. The Workshop was a great success, as was clearly felt by all of the attendees. The small number of participants at the meeting tended to encourage a high level of closeness and communication between individuals. The location, a small resort on the western side of Lake Baikal in the vicinity of Irkutsk, was ideal - the isolated location, small and quiet, was excellent and was most conducive to discussion among individuals and small groups quite apart from the formal presentations.

Cathodic arcs are among the longest studied yet least understood objects in science. Plasma-generating, tiny spots appear on the cathode; they are highly dynamic and hard to control. With an approach emphasizing the fractal character of cathode spots, strongly fluctuating plasma properties are described such as the presence of multiply charged ions that move with supersonic velocity. Richly illustrated, the book also deals with practical issues, such as arc source construction, macroparticle removal, and the synthesis of dense, well adherent coatings. The book spans a bridge from plasma physics to coatings technology based on energetic condensation, appealing to scientists, practitioners and graduate students alike.

The first edition of this title has become a well-known reference book on ion sources. The field is evolving constantly and rapidly, calling for a new, up-to-date version of the book. In the second edition of this significant title, editor Ian Brown, himself an authority in the field, compiles yet again articles written by renowned experts covering various aspects of ion source physics and technology. The book contains full chapters on the plasma physics of ion sources, ion beam formation, beam transport, computer modeling, and treats many different specific kinds of ion sources in sufficient detail to serve as a valuable reference text.

This book fills the gap for a textbook describing this kind of electron beam source in a systematic and thorough manner: from physical processes of electron emission to examples of real plasma electron sources and their applications.

This volume contains proceedings of the NATO-Russia Advanced Research Workshop on Nanostructured Thin Films and Nanodispersion Strengthened Coatings (December, 2003, Moscow). During this Workshop leading researchers from twelve countries had presented and discussed most recent developments in the fields of plasma physics and surface engineering related to the preparation and applications of nanostructured thin films and nanodispersion strengthened coatings. These presentations are encompassed in 31 individual chapters. The chapters are assembled in five parts in according to the workshop sessions. Part I is a compilation of chapters on hard and tribological coatings. The recent advances in this area are significant in that it is now possible to engineer strong, hard, and tough coatings that can operate at temperatures higher than 1200 ?C and exhibit ‘smart’, adaptive characteristics. These coatings are based on an amorphous matrix, e. g. nitrides, carbides, borides, or carbon, in which there is a controlled nucleation and growth of ultra hard nanoparticles of crystalline carbides, nitrides, borides and oxides. The critical feature is the control of both the particle size, i. e. , less than 10 nm, and interpartical spacing of a few nanometers. The ‘smart’ or adaptive characteristic is engineered into the nanostructures using similar sized (less than 10 nm) particles of metallic chalcogenidese, ductile metals, or glass forming elements to provide high lubricity and chemical adaptation at the environment change, e. g. , high and low humidities and temperatures.

Recent scientific and technical advances have made it possible to create matter in the laboratory under conditions relevant to astrophysical systems such as supernovae and black holes. These advances will also benefit inertial confinement fusion research and the nation's nuclear weapon's program. The report describes the major research facilities on which such high energy density conditions can be achieved and lists a number of key scientific questions about high energy density physics that can be addressed by this research. Several recommendations are presented that would facilitate the development of a comprehensive strategy for realizing these research opportunities.