International Discussion Meeting on Relaxations in Complex Systems; June 18-26, 2001; Hersonissos, Crete, Greece

松弛和扩散在科学、技术和工程的许多分支中扮演着重要的角色。弛豫现象广泛存在于物理、生物物理、化学、材料科学、冶金、流变学、玻璃科学、聚合物/生物聚合物物理和工程、胶体、光纤、光电子学和电子学中。它是基础物理学和非常实际的应用中的主要问题。考虑放松的领域多种多样，这表明了它的跨学科性质。过去十年的研究发现，不同材料中的松弛现象具有共同的特征，这些松弛现象往往是在不同的专业和孤立的领域中单独研究的。复杂材料中的弛豫特性具有显著的共性，这为通过多学科方法在所有专业领域中的快速发展提供了一个令人兴奋的机会。%认识到为不同材料和领域中的弛豫现象的工作者提供沟通渠道的重要性以及它将给许多研究学科带来的好处，2001年6月18日至26日在希腊克里特岛组织了一次“关于复杂系统中的弛豫现象的讨论会议”。NSF资助的目的是帮助美国学术界的年轻研究人员和其他研究人员支付注册费，如果有足够的资金，还可以支付参加这次国际讨论会议的部分旅费。

Relaxations and diffusion play an important role in many branches of science, technology and engineering. Relaxation phenomena occur widely in physics, biophysics, chemistry, materials science, metallurgy, rheology, glass sciences, polymer/biopolymer physics and engineering, colloids, fiber optics, opto-electronics and electronics. It is the primary concern in basic physics as well as in very practical applications. The wide variety of areas in which relaxation enters into consideration demonstrates its interdisciplinary nature. Research finding in the last decade have shown common features of relaxation phenomena in different materials that are often studied separately in different specialised and isolated fields. This remarkable commonality of properties of relaxation in complex materials suggests an exciting opportunity for rapid development in all the specialised fields by a multidisciplinary approach.%%%Recognising the importance of providing a channel of communication between workers on relaxation phenomena in different materials and fields and the benefit it will bring to many research disciplines, a "Discussion Meeting on Relaxations in Complex Systems" is being organised in Crete, Greece, June 18th - 26th , 2001. The objective of this NSF support is to help young and other investigators from academia in the United States to pay for the registration fee and, if there is sufficient money, part of the travel cost for attending this International Discussion Meeting.