Preface

Summary

The Mexican School on Nuclear Astrophysics was held in the Hotel Castillo Santa Cecilia, Guanajuato, México, from August 13 to August 20, 1997. The goal of the school was to gather together researchers and graduate students working on related problems in astrophysics – to present areas of current research, to discuss some important open problems, and to establish and strengthen links between researchers. The school consisted of eight courses and material presented in these forms the basis of this book.

Non–stop interaction between the participants, through both formal and informal discussions, gave the school a relaxed and productive atmosphere. It provided the opportunity for researchers from a wide range of backgrounds to share their interests in and different perspectives of the latest developments in astrophysics.

The productivity of the meeting reflected the strong interest of the Mexican and Latin American scientific communities in the subjects covered, Indeed, a second school is planned for 1999.

Professor David Schramm very sadly died not long after the conference, in December 1997. His lectures at the School were fascinating. He will be sorely missed by us and the rest of the astrophysics community.